Exercise 1: Building and Calibrating a Spectroscope

Questions

Please complete the questions as you work on the exercise.

Hold the grating several inches from your face, at an angle. Look at the grating that you will be using. Record what details you see at the grating surface.

Hold the diffraction grating up to your eye and look through it. Record what you see. Be specific.

Before mounting the diffraction grating, look through the opening that you made for your grating. Record what you see across the back of your spectroscope.

After mounting the diffraction grating, look through your spectroscope and record what you see across the back of your spectroscope. Be specific.

Starting at the light inlet slit and going outward, what colors do you see in the spectrum? List them all.

When you view the spectrum, you should be able to see a spectral image to the right and left of the light inlet slit. How are the spectral images the same? How are they different? Record your findings.

Try narrowing and widening the light inlet slit. How does this affect the spectra that appear? Compare the shape, thickness, and resolution of the spectral lines before and after narrowing the slit. Record your findings.

Write up to five sentences describing how a spectroscope works. Make certain to mention things like the light inlet slit, diffraction grating, light, spectrum, etc.

Exercise 2: Using the Spectroscope

Data Table 1. Light Sources.

Questions

Describe the similarities and differences between the spectra of incandescent light and fluorescent light. Use your results in Data Table 1 to explain your answer.