Answer: 12.09 eV.
- A 12.09 eV
- B 10.2 eV
- C 13.6 eV
- D 3.4 eV
Correct answer: A. 12.09 eV
Explanation: E = 13.6(1/1² - 1/3²) = 13.6(1 - 1/9) = 13.6 × 8/9 = 12.09 eV. This is the Lyman-alpha series.

The Geiger–Marsden alpha-scattering result: a few alpha particles bounce back at large angles, which rules out Thomson’s diffuse model and demands a tiny, massive, positively charged nucleus. Image: Kurzon, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Concept context
Thomson's plum-pudding model, Rutherford's nuclear model from alpha-scattering, Bohr's postulates and hydrogen spectrum, spectral series (Lyman to Pfund), Rydberg formula, and limitations of each model.