Question

How would you describe light generated by heating pure elements if it was observed through a prism or spectroscope?

A. You would see a rainbow of colors.
B. You would see one line of emitted light, but it would be different for each element.
C. You would see a series of very sharp lines of emitted light.
D. Light is absorbed by heated elements so you would not see anything.

Answer 1

Light observed through a prism from heated pure elements manifests as a line spectrum, featuring distinct lines at specific wavelengths unique to each element, rather than a continuous rainbow.

Step-by-step explanation:

When light generated by heating pure elements is observed through a prism or a spectroscope, what you observe is not a continuous rainbow of colors, but a series of very sharp lines of emitted light, known as a line spectrum. Each pure element heated under these conditions has a unique emission spectrum that consists of lines at specific wavelengths, corresponding to the unique energy transitions of the electrons within the atoms of that element. These lines are the visual representation of the energy states that the electrons can occupy, and when they transition between these states, they emit photons at these specific wavelengths. This is why when electricity is passed through a gas and the emitted light is passed through a prism, we only see certain lines of light. Sodium, for example, would show intense lines in the yellow portion of the spectrum at about 589 nm.