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Photons

Line emission and line absorption spectra

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 3

Overview

Appearance of a line emission spectrum, appearance of a line absorption spectrum and how the spectrum appears when viewed through a diffraction grating.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How is a line emission spectrum produced?

Key term

Describe the appearance of a line emission spectrum.

Key term

How is a line absorption spectrum produced?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How is a line emission spectrum produced?

    Model answer

    A gas at low pressure is excited by heating or by an electrical discharge, and the light it emits is passed through a diffraction grating or prism.

  2. 2

    Describe the appearance of a line emission spectrum.

    Model answer

    A series of bright coloured lines on a black background, at wavelengths characteristic of the element emitting them.

  3. 3

    How is a line absorption spectrum produced?

    Model answer

    White light is passed through a cool gas and then through a diffraction grating, so the continuous spectrum is crossed by dark lines.

  4. 4

    Describe the appearance of a line absorption spectrum.

    Model answer

    A continuous spectrum of all colours crossed by dark lines at particular wavelengths.

  5. 5

    What is the relationship between the emission and absorption spectra of the same element?

    Model answer

    The dark lines of the absorption spectrum occur at exactly the same wavelengths as the bright lines of the emission spectrum.

  6. 6

    Why do the two sets of lines coincide?

    Model answer

    Both correspond to the same set of energy gaps in the atom, one emitted when an electron falls and the other absorbed when it rises.

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