In our curriculum, spectroscopy is used to introduce students to the quantum model of the atom. In this approach, they first must understand the properties of light, which we have found is more effective to teach in a lab setting. This presentation will describe a lab experiment that introduces the fundamentals of light, and its interaction with matter. It teaches the underlying principles of spectroscopy at the freshman level. The lab is guided inquiry, where students visit stations, make observations, and answer thought provoking questions. The main topics are emission versus absorption spectra, complimentary colors, emission spectra of familiar white light sources (sunlight, incandescent, fluorescent, and LED), and atomic line spectra. The overall goal of the lab is for students to understand how light, color, and matter are connected.

Discover light, and understand matter

255th National Meeting (2018)

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