Spectral lines take the shape of vertical lines because
A) the energy levels in the atom are parallel to one another.
B) the light is vertically polarized.
C) they are simply images of a vertical slit.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Spectral lines appear as vertical lines primarily because they are images of a vertical slit through which the light passes in a spectroscope. This slit acts as a spatial filter, allowing only a narrow beam of light to enter the instrument, which is then dispersed into its component wavelengths (colors) by a prism or diffraction grating. The resulting spectrum is observed as lines because the original light source was shaped into a narrow, vertical beam by the slit.

Spectral Lines Take the Shape of Vertical Lines Because