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Procedure:
At each light station is a spectroscope. Hold the scope so that the slit is pointing at the light source and look through the clear
rectangular lens. You may need to angle the box a little, but when you are holding it correctly, you will see two bands of colored
light, one on the right side of the slit and the other on the left side. Next to each field that reads "Light Source", write the type of
light you are observing for that station.
Using the colored pencils at each station, record the spectra you observe. You can also use your tablet or phone camera held to
the lens to take a picture of the spectra and do the recording at your desk after you finish your observations at all stations. Which-
ever method you use, be consistent and record either the right or the left side at all stations (don't do both – they are identical).
Please indicate if you are recording the right or the left!
Post-Lab Questions:
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Based on the patterns you observed with the spectroscopes, what conclusions can you draw about the output of different
light sources?
2. If different light sources produce different visible spectra (the plural of spectrum), what can you postulate about what else
can be produced by different light sources?
3. The spectra on the left side of the slit are always the mirror image of the spectra on the right-hand side. Why do you think
the two are always mirrored?
Wait—Light is Made of Other Lights? (Student Handout continued)
Light Source Spectra