ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Rydberg–Ritz combination principle

Alright kiddo, have you heard of something called the atom? It's like a tiny little thing that makes up everything, even you and me!

Now, when we look at an atom closely, we can see that it has these things called electrons that fly around it. And sometimes, these electrons move from one energy level to another, kind of like climbing stairs.

The Rydberg-Ritz combination principle has to do with what happens when these electrons jump between energy levels. It says that when an electron jumps from a higher energy level to a lower one, it gives off a certain amount of energy as light.

But here's the cool part - different atoms give off different types of light, like different colors of the rainbow. The Rydberg-Ritz combination principle helps us figure out what kind of light an atom will give off when its electrons move around.

It does this by using two numbers - the Rydberg constant and the Ritz wavelength. These numbers help us calculate what kind of light an atom will produce.

So overall, the Rydberg-Ritz combination principle helps us understand how atoms work and what kinds of light they give off. Neat, huh?