Step 1: Understanding the Lyman Series The Lyman series corresponds to the transitions of electrons in a hydrogen atom from higher energy levels (for ) to the energy level. The wavelengths of these transitions can be calculated using the
Rydberg formula for hydrogen: Where:
- is the wavelength of the emitted radiation,
- is the Rydberg constant for hydrogen,
- (since it's the Lyman series),
- is the higher energy level (2, 3, 4, ...). Step 2: Maximum and Minimum Wavelengths 1. Minimum Wavelength: The minimum wavelength corresponds to the transition from (since the energy difference is the greatest when the electron falls to the ground state, ): Therefore, the minimum wavelength is given by: 2. Maximum Wavelength: The maximum wavelength corresponds to the transition from : Therefore, the maximum wavelength is: Step 3: Relating the Maximum Wavelength to the Minimum Wavelength Given that the minimum wavelength is , we can write: From the above formula, the maximum wavelength is: Step 4: Conclusion The maximum wavelength of the Lyman series lines is . Thus, the correct answer is: