Balmer series

American  

[bahl-mer] / ˈbɑl mər /

noun

Physics.

1. a series of lines in the visible spectrum of hydrogen.

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Balmer series British  

/ ˈbalmər /

noun

1. a series of lines in the hydrogen spectrum, discovered by Johann Jakob Balmer (1825–98) in 1885

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Etymology

Origin of Balmer series

1960–65; named after J. J. Balmer (1825–98), Swiss physicist who derived its formula

Example Sentences

The red glow that pervades the great Orion Nebula is produced by the first line in the Balmer series of hydrogen.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

In fact, it was to explain this Balmer series that Bohr first suggested his model of the atom.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

For the Lyman series, nf = 1 ; for the Balmer series, nf = 2 ; for the Paschen series, nf = 3 ; and so on.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Part of the Balmer series is in the visible spectrum, while the Lyman series is entirely in the UV, and the Paschen series and others are in the IR.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

The Lyman series is entirely in the UV, while part of the Balmer series is visible with the remainder UV.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015