Final answer:
The three kinds of spectra are the continuous spectrum, absorption spectrum, and emission spectrum. Continuous spectrum shows all colors, absorption spectrum shows dark lines where light is absorbed by elements, and emission spectrum shows bright lines at the wavelengths that elements emit.
Step-by-step explanation:
Three Kinds of Spectra Related to Elements
The three kinds of spectra related to elements that something absorbs are continuous spectrum, absorption spectrum, and emission spectrum.
A continuous spectrum contains all wavelengths of light and appears when light from a solid or dense gas is emitted, showing all colors of the rainbow.
An absorption spectrum is characterized by a series of dark lines superimposed upon the continuous spectrum when white light passes through a cool, thin gas - the missing colors correspond to wavelengths that the elements in the gas have absorbed.
The third type, an emission spectrum, consists of bright lines at specific wavelengths where a hot, thin gas emits light - each element has a unique spectral signature.
The patterns of absorption or emission lines enable the identification of elements within a gas cloud, an application utilized in spectroscopy, which is instrumental in astronomical studies.
A notable historical application of absorption spectra was the discovery of helium by Pierre Janssen during a solar eclipse. He observed a set of lines that did not match any known element leading to the identification of a new element in the sun's spectrum, before it was found on Earth.