Rydberg constant
noun
variants or Rydberg unit
: a wave number characteristic of the atomic spectrum of each element equal to the constant factor in the wave-number formula for all the spectral series of the elements and having a value from 109,678 cm−1 for hydrogen to 109,737 cm−1 for the heaviest elements
Word History
Etymology
after Johannes R. Rydberg
First Known Use
1900, in the meaning defined above