Final answer:
In a spectrometer, light passes through a narrow slit, is collimated by a lens, disperses into a spectrum via a prism, and is then focused onto a detector. Different light sources produce varying spectra, with sunlight showing absorption lines and neon lights showing distinct spectral lines. Light wavelengths and frequencies are inversely related, with blue light having the shortest wavelength and highest frequency.
Step-by-step explanation:
To operate a spectrometer and view light spectra, the light must pass through the device in a specific order. First, light enters the instrument through a narrow slit, which ensures that the light can be collimated, or made into a beam of parallel rays, by a lens. The collimated light then travels through a prism where the light is dispersed into a spectrum due to each wavelength being refracted by a different amount. A second lens is used to focus these different wavelengths onto a CCD or other type of detector. The resulting images are the separated wavelengths of the original light source, which can include colors such as red, blue, and yellow. If we were to use a spectrometer on various light sources, we could expect to see a full spectrum from a household lightbulb, a spectrum with absorption lines from the Sun, distinct spectral lines from the "neon lights of Broadway", a fairly uniform spectrum from an ordinary household flashlight, and a spectrum with distinct emission lines from a shopping street's streetlight.
To answer the question regarding the order of light waves based on wavelength and frequency:
- From shortest to longest wavelength: blue, green, red.
- From lowest to highest frequency: red, green, blue.
It's important to note that wavelength and frequency are inversely related; as the wavelength increases, the frequency decreases, and vice versa.