The mercury atoms in a fluorescent tube are excited and then emit photons in the ultraviolet region of the elecrtomagnetic spectrum. Explain how the mercury atoms become excited.

The mercury atom is excited one of its electrons goes from an upper electron shell to a lower electron shell thanks to some energy that it recives from the outside. When an atom is excited it is instable so the electron will go back to its initial shell. This will cause a loss of enregy in the form of a photon

MB
Answered by Marie B. Physics tutor

5161 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

What's the moment of a force and why would I need to understand it?


How does energy flow from voltage source to resistor in a simple DC circuit?


What is resistivity?


A geostationary satellite is orbiting Earth, a) What is meant by a geostationary orbit? b) Calculate the height at which the satellite orbits above the surface of the Earth. The radius of the Earth is 6400km and its mass is 6x10^24 kg.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning