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the Light Spectrum

　Light the Spectrum is the condition into which light is separated by using a prism. It uses the principle that different wavelengths of the colors have different refractive indexes. The order of colors in the spectrum are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (shown below). Red has a low refractive index, so its wavelength is long. However blue has higher refractive index, so its wavelength is short. This phenomenon is called "Dispersion". Spectrums are classified into "Continuous spectrum", "Emission line spectrum",and "Absorption line spectrum" by the features of wavelengths. Continuous spectrum : this spectrum is seen continually in a certain range of wavelengths. Emission line spectrum : a spectrum of light which atoms emit by returning to their original state from an excited state. Absorption line spectrum : a weak spectrum of light which has been absorbed by passing through other substances. In addition, spectrums are classified into visible spectra, infrared spectra, ultraviolet spectra, and X-ray spectru by range of light wavelengths.

　Move your cursor over this image to display the range of each wavelength of light.