A pattern of dark lines on a continuous background is referred to as
A) an emission line spectrum
B) an absorption line spectrum
C) a continuous spectrum
D) a dark spectrum

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A pattern of dark lines on a continuous background is a characteristic of an absorption line spectrum. This occurs when light from a source passes through a cooler and less dense material, such as a cloud of gas, before reaching our instrument, causing certain wavelengths of light to be absorbed by the atoms or molecules within the cloud. The result is a spectrum with dark lines at the wavelengths that were absorbed by the cloud.

A Pattern of Dark Lines on a Continuous Background Is