It just means that electrons (or any other quantum particles) can only take on certain discrete values of energy.
It's more like their energies have a distribution that has huge peaks at discrete values. If it was actually a discrete value we would not be able to see absorption lines in absorption spectra.
It's more like their energies have a distribution that has huge peaks at discrete values. If it was actually a discrete value we would not be able to see absorption lines in absorption spectra.
What do you mean by a distribution of energies? If there was a distribution there'd be no lines, the absorption spectra would be continuous…
What do you mean by a distribution of energies? If there was a distribution there'd be no lines, the absorption spectra would be continuous…
A distribution with very sharp peaks (so there is only a very small probability of a particle having an energy with more than a very small difference from the absorption line is very low). If there was no small variance in energy we would not see the lines as they would be infinitesimally narrow.
It's more like their energies have a distribution that has huge peaks at discrete values. If it was actually a discrete value we would not be able to see absorption lines in absorption spectra.
I didn't say 'adiscrete value', I said 'discrete values', which is consistent with a non-continuous energy distribution.
Are you referring to the variance of energy 'around' the discrete energies of electronic states due to different vibrational modes, rotational modes, etc?
Are you referring to the variance of energy 'around' the discrete energies of electronic states due to different vibrational modes, rotational modes, etc?
In fairness even vibrational and rotational energy levels have a discrete distribution, it's just that the peaks appear 'smeared' on the specturm due to the large number of possible modes and limitations with the resolution of the instrument.
Ultimately the energy levels are entirely discrete, even if there's lots of them bunched up due to rotational, vibrational states. High resolution can pick these up, and then any broadening is due to HUP/Doppler/pressure, but this doesn't mean energy levels aren't quantised, just that the energy of the emitted photons isn't quantised.