This is the energy of the atom when the electron is
completely removed (r = ¥) from the nucleus and is at rest Observe how
the energies of the excited states come closer and closer together as
n increases 12 5  THE LINE SPECTRA OF THE HYDROGEN ATOM
According to the third postulate of Bohr’s model, when an atom makes a
transition from the higher energy state with quantum number ni to the
lower energy state with quantum number nf (nf < ni), the difference of
energy is carried away by a photon of frequency nif such that
FIGURE 12