Atoms take in energy. Then they give it back as light. Every element gives off its own set of colors. Light up gas tubes in the virtual lab, then zoom in all the way to a single atom.
Click a ring to zap the electron up to it.
A lit tube shows all its lines at once. Each line is one kind of drop inside the atoms.
No two elements share the same set of lines. Molecules make shaded bands instead of sharp lines. Click a row to load that tube. Match a mystery tube to its row.
Drops that land on level 2 make colors our eyes can see. There are four: red, blue-green, blue-violet, and violet.
Drops that land on level 1 are too big. They make ultraviolet light.
Drops that land on level 3 or higher are too small. They make infrared light.
We can't see ultraviolet or infrared. But they are still light.
The levels are fixed. So hydrogen can only make these exact colors. No others.
Every element has its own levels. So every element makes its own set of lines. This set is called an emission spectrum. It works like a fingerprint.
That is how scientists know what stars are made of. They never had to go there.
Printable student worksheet (PDF) · two pages, goes with the virtual lab
Teacher guide: NYSSLS, SEP and CCC alignment (PDF)