Electromagnetic Spectrum

What is ground state and excited state of an electron?

Ground state refers to the lowest energy level (closest to the nucleus) an electron
can be at.

Excited state is when an electron absorbs energy and jumps to a higher energy
level (farther away from the nucleus).

How is light produced?

Light is produced when electrons that is at an excited state travels back down to
ground state. When this occurs the energy previously absorbed is emitted as a
photon. This photon will produced light.

Why do lights have different colors?

Photon will be emitted at different energies depending on how many energy levels
and electrons that element’s atom has. Energy will affect the wavelength and
frequency that the photon will travel, and change the color of the light.

How to identify what element is creating light?

A spectrometer or spectroscope is used to identify the element creating the light.
This will separate the light into different components that make up that light. This
will create a unique signature of light for that element. The is called an emission
spectrum.