Why would a hydrogen spectrum contain many lines even though H atom has only a single electron?
Answer Hello Michael, the electrons (even the single electron of a hydrogen atom) can inhabit different states in the shell of the atom. These different states (also called orbitals) have different energy levels. When an electron changes from an excited state to a lower energy state, the energy difference is emitted as a photon. The emitted photon carries the energy difference of the state (and thus has the corresponding wavelength). Peace, Kevin.
