Is the excitation and de-excitation of an electron from the ground state (of an atom) due to the collision of another particle (e.g. electron) an elastic collision or an inelastic collision.
It is an elastic collision. This is because, when a particle collides with the electron of an atom, a discrete amount of energy is transferred from the particle to the electron. This discrete amount of energy is enough for the electron to excite to another discrete energy level. When the electron de-excites, it releases a photon with energy equal to the discrete amount of energy which was used to excite the electron. As no energy is lost during this process, the excitation and de-excitation of the electron is an elastic collision.
AH
Related Physics A Level answers
All answers ▸Can you explain the Work-Energy principle and how you can apply it in a simple situation such as a box sliding down a rough slope?
Describe energy transformations in a oscillating pendulum, which undergoes simple harmonic motion. How this implies the velocity at critical (lowest and highest) points?
Describe and explain the photoelectric effect.
The speed of water moving through a turbine is 2.5 m/s. Show that the mass of water passing through an area of 500 metres squared in one second is about 1 x 10^6 kg (density of sea water = 1030 kg/m^3)