Question

When is hydrogen stable?

(a) When the electron jumps to higher energy levels

(b) When an electric field is introduced

(c) When a magnetic field is introduced

(d) When the electron is at its ground state

I got this question in an internship interview.

Origin of the question is The Line Spectra of the Hydrogen Atom in chapter Atoms of Physics – Class 12

Answer 1

The correct option is (d) When the electron is at its ground state

Explanation: The hydrogen atom is stable when the electron rests at the ground level of energy, i.e. when the principal quantum number, n = 1. In other words, when the electron is revolving in the first orbit around the nucleus, the hydrogen atom is stable.