: In atoms, there are various energy levels for electrons. Each energy level has a specific energy. When moving away from the nucleus, the energy increases but the difference between the levels decreases. My question is, where did the energy come from and how does it increase or decrease?
In: Chemistry
Energy is only meaningful relative to something else. You can think of the energy of the electron as how much effort it takes to bring the electron and nucleus together. Since the electron and nucleus are attracted to each other, rhe energy is negative because it takes effort to pull them apart. As you pull them apart, the energy goes up bc you’re preventing them from being together.
Once you’ve pulled them away from each other, it’s easier to pull them further apart. This is why the energy differences are smaller. If you have two magnets you can feel this effect yourself.
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