Biography:Johann Balmer: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Swiss mathematician known for the Balmer formula}}
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Latest revision as of 23:02, 24 May 2026

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Johann Balmer
Balmer
Balmer
Born 1 May 1825
Lausen, Switzerland
Died 12 March 1898
Basel, Switzerland


Known for Balmer formula; hydrogen spectral lines

Johann Balmer (1825-1898) was a Swiss mathematician known for the Balmer formula, an empirical relation describing visible spectral lines of hydrogen.

Hydrogen spectrum

Balmer found a simple numerical pattern in hydrogen's visible spectral lines. The formula was discovered before the quantum theory of the atom, but it became an important clue that atomic energy levels are discrete.

Later work by Johannes Rydberg generalized spectral formulas, and Niels Bohr explained the hydrogen spectrum using quantized orbits.

References


Author: Harold Foppele