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Continuous vs. Line Spectrum Explained

Continuous spectra appear as a continuum of wavelengths without distinct lines and result from heated solids or liquids where atoms are close together, interacting strongly. In contrast, emission line spectra consist of distinct frequencies and occur in gases where isolated atoms can emit light at certain frequencies when excited without interactions. Line spectra indicate the presence of a gas while continuous spectra indicate a heated solid or liquid.

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Lyza Marie Castulo
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132 views6 pages

Continuous vs. Line Spectrum Explained

Continuous spectra appear as a continuum of wavelengths without distinct lines and result from heated solids or liquids where atoms are close together, interacting strongly. In contrast, emission line spectra consist of distinct frequencies and occur in gases where isolated atoms can emit light at certain frequencies when excited without interactions. Line spectra indicate the presence of a gas while continuous spectra indicate a heated solid or liquid.

Uploaded by

Lyza Marie Castulo
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Continuous Spectra

What is Continuous
Spectra?
 a spectrum that contains or appears to
contain all wavelengths but not spectrum
lines over a wide portion of its range.
 an emission spectrum that consists of a
continuum of wavelengths.
Continuous Spectra
Difference between Line and
Continuous Spectra
Emission line spectra come from matter in the
gaseous state, in which the atoms are so far apart
that interactions between them are negligible and
each atom behaves as an isolated system.
By contrast, a heated solid or liquid (in which
atoms are close to each other) nearly always emits
radiation with a continuous distribution of
wavelengths rather than a line spectrum

Back to Overview
Difference between Line and
Continuous Spectra

Back to Overview
In the same manner, isolated atoms in a gas emit light of
certain light distinct frequencies when excited, but if the
same atoms are crowded together in a solid or liquid they
produce a continuous spectrum of light.

Back to Overview

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