Lets say that a,b,c,d,e are the five allowed energy states in order of decreasing energy. Then the number of possible different spectral lines comes from the electron dropping from a high state to a lower state. So, they will do so in following ways:
a - b
a - c
a - d
a- e
b - c
b - d
b- e
c - d
c- e
d- e
Ans- Ten different possible energy jumps giving six different colors or lines in the spectrum.
