Final answer:
Light waves passing through stained glass and into a spectrophotometer provide a spectrum of wavelengths that reveal which colors are absorbed or transmitted, similar to how researchers determine pigment absorption in photosynthetic organisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Light waves carrying information through a stained glass window to a spectrophotometer provide data on which wavelengths of light are being absorbed, reflected, or transmitted by the pigments in the glass. As the light passes through the stained glass, certain wavelengths are filtered out, while others are allowed through, creating a spectrum indicative of the glass's coloration and composition. This is akin to how scientists use spectrophotometers to understand which wavelengths are absorbed by photosynthetic organisms' pigments, helping them to generate absorption spectra. Similarly, astronomers use spectrometers to analyze light from various sources, as a light beam is transformed into a spectrum when passed through a prism, with each wavelength bending differently, thereby spreading into a range of colors that can be captured and analyzed.