Atomic Spectra EX-5546

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Atomic Spectra
EQUIPMENT
INCLUDED:
Spectrophotometer Accessory Kit
60 cm Optics Bench
Aperture Bracket
High Sensitivity Light Sensor
Rotary Motion Sensor
Small Round Base (set of 2)
25 cm Steel Rod
Low Pressure Sodium Light Source
Spectral Tube Power Supply and Mount
Hydrogen Spectral Tube
Helium Spectral Tube
Mercury Spectral Tube
NOT INCLUDED, BUT REQUIRED:
1 850 Universal Interface
1 PASCO Capstone
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1

OS-8537
OS-8541
OS-8534B
PS-2176
PS-2120
ME-8974A
ME-8988
OS-9287B
SE-9460
SE-9461
SE-9462
SE-9466
UI-5000
UI-5400

INTRODUCTION
The atomic spectra of Sodium (optional), Hydrogen and Helium (Mercury optional) are scanned
by hand using a grating spectrophotometer that measures light intensity as a function of angle.
From the resulting graph, the wavelengths of the spectral lines are determined by measuring the
angle from the central maximum to each line. First and second order lines are examined. The
spectra of Sodium and Helium are used to calibrate the diffraction grating. Alternately, the
spectrum of Helium alone is used to calibrate the grating. This allows us to achieve an accuracy
of about 1.5 nm across the visible range. We can then compare the measured values for
Hydrogen to those predicted by Quantum Mechanics. This is one of the key results that lead to
the development of Quantum Mechanics.
This experiment should be performed in a room with reduced light levels although complete
darkness is not required.

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THEORY

As light passes through a diffraction grating, the light bends to form a diffraction pattern. The
angles to the maxima in the diffraction pattern are given by
d sin = m (m = 0, 1, 2, ...)

(1)

where d is the separation between the lines on the grating, is the wavelength of the light, and m
is the order number. We collimate the beam so that the angles will be the same for the entire
grating.

Light is given off by an atom when an excited electron decays from a higher energy orbit to a
lower energy orbit. The energy levels of the electron in a hydrogen atom are given by

-(

)( )

(2)

where me is the mass of the electron, e is the charge of the electron, o is the permittivity
constant, h is Planck's constant, and n is the energy level number (1,2,3,...). The energy of the
photon, E, is the negative of the loss of energy of the electron and is given by

-Written by Chuck Hunt

(3)

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For the visible photons given off by Hydrogen, the final energy level is nf = 2. The wavelength,
, of the photon given off is determined using
= c/f
where c is the speed of light and f is the frequency and f = E/h.
Putting these all together gives
(

Written by Chuck Hunt

(4)
(5)

(6)

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SETUP A, B, C

Figure 1: complete setup

Figure 2A: close-up of collimating slit

1. Set up the Prism Spectrophotometer as shown in Figure 1 except reverse the Collimating
Slit so it is at the exact end of the track and place the light source as close to it as possible
to maximize the intensity (see Figure 2A above). Detailed instructions for mounting the
Rotary Motion Sensor and the Degree Plate and Light Sensor Arm to the spectroscopy
table may be found in Appendix 1. Try to set up away from AC power lines which will
introduce noise if too close.
2. Attach the High Sensitivity Light Sensor to the Light Sensor Arm using the inch bolt
(1/4 x 20) with a large black plastic head. Attach the 2 inch black rod to the bottom of the
Light Sensor Arm using one of the vacant holes. This makes a convenient handle for
sweeping through the spectrum (see fig. 1 above).

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3. Attach the Grating Mount to the spectroscopy table by screwing it into the hole in the
center of the table. Screw it down until it almost touches the table. It is critical that the
Grating Mount does not touch the table so the table is free to move without moving the
grating. Orient the Grating Mount so the letters on it are toward the light source as shown
in Figure 2B. The Grating Mount must be perpendicular to the incoming light beam. To
do this set, turn the table until the index mark is on 00, and then set the base of the Grating
Mount so it lies along the 00-1800 line on the table (see Figure 2C). Secure the Grating
Mount in place using the wing nut and lock washer on the bottom of the bolt sticking
through the spectroscopy table.

Figure 2B: Grating Position

Figure 2C: Ground Wire

4. The Diffraction Grating is held onto the Grating Mount by magnets. Attach it to the side
of the Grating Mount that is toward the light source as shown in Figure 2B. The Grating is
on the side of the glass with the magnets and should be exactly on the 00 1800 line and
perpendicular to the incoming light beam. Avoid touching the surface of the grating.
5. Ground the Spectrometer by attaching an alligator jumper cable (yellow in Figure 2C)
from the ground post on the bottom of the spectroscopy table (on the side opposite the
Rotary Motion Sensor-see Figure 2C), and attaching the other end to a ground. A
convenient ground is the silver outside connector for the #2 or #3 Outputs at the lower
right on the 850 Universal Interface.
6. Put the spectrophotometer on two rod stands (see Figure 1) so you can adjust the height to
match the height of the various light sources.
7. Plug the Rotary Motion Sensor and the High Sensitivity Light Sensor into the PASPORT
inputs on the 850 Universal Interface.
8. Set the collimating slits on Slit #3. Set the Aperture Disk in front of the Light Sensor on
Slit #4. (See Figure 3)

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Collimating the system:

1. the Collimating Slit must be at the focal point of the first lens and the Sensor Mask and
Aperture Disk must be at the focal point of the second lens. Move the spectroscopy table
back to the end of the track so it is out of the way. Move the Collimating Lens (see figure
3 above) at least 12 cm from the slit. Have someone with 20/20 vision (corrected by
glasses is fine) look through the lens at the slit. Move the lens toward the slit until it first
comes into sharp focus. The slit should be about 10 cm from the lens. Now move the
spectroscopy table as close to the Collimating Lens as possible. Set the Focusing lens 10
cm from the Sensor Mask. We will adjust this more exactly in step 11.
2. Turn on the Light Source. Move the track up or down on the rod stands so the Collimating
Slit is toward the brightest part of the Light Source. Swing the Light Sensor Arm out of
the way so you can look through the grating along the Optics Track. Move the Light
Source so that the light that you see though the slit is as bright as possible. Be careful not
to move the track after it is set correctly.
3. Swing the Light Sensor Arm so that the Sensor Mask is along the track and the bright 0th
order spectrum (undeviated) is on the Sensor Mask. Adjust the Focusing Lens so the
image on the Sensor Mask is as sharp as possible. The system is now well collimated.

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PROCEDURE For Sodium (if not doing Sodium, skip to the Procedure tab)
Determining the Grating Line Separation This procedure is optional. From a pedagogical
standpoint, it is nice to actually measure the grating spacing. Sodium works well for this because
there is little danger of misidentifying a line. However, the Sodium Lamp is expensive and the
value the student obtains is probably not as good as the nominal value provided by the supplier
of the grating. In addition, although this portion of the lab is straightforward, the lab is already
rather long due to the need to analyze the initial spectra by hand.
Use the Sodium (Na) lamp to determine the separation, d, of the lines on the grating. The yellow
lines of Sodium have known wavelengths: 589.0 nm and 589.6 nm. These lines are so close in
wavelength that they will look like one line through the spectroscope. Assume this line as the
average wavelength of 589.3 nm.
1.

2.

This experiment should be performed in a room with reduced light levels although
complete darkness is not required. Set the High Sensitivity Light Sensor on the 0-100
(middle) range.
Figure 4 shows the 0th max (to the right) and the 1st order spectrum. For the sodium
spectrum the yellow lines are much brighter, you should see other colors in 1st order,
but we will only measure the yellow lines. You should be able to see the 2nd order
yellow line at a larger angle than the 1st order and may see the 3rd order if the room is
dark enough.

Figure 4: 0th and 1st Order Spectrum

3.

Open the Graph tab. Start the scan to the left of the 2nd order yellow line, click
RECORD and scan very slowly across the second order yellow line, the 1st order
yellow line, the central maximum and the 1st and 2nd order yellow lines on the right
side. Click STOP. The lines will be brighter on one side due to the way the grating is
made. The scan should normally take about 5 minutes, but you can go faster for
sodium since you only need to scan slowly across the spectral lines and you can
clearly see the yellow lines for sodium. It is important that you only sweep in one
direction! If you try to go back the Rotary Motion Sensor will lose track of where you
are! The angles may all be negative, depending on how you set up the spectrometer. If
so, place the hand icon over where it says angle at the bottom of the screen and
when the blue box appears, left click, select QuickCalc at the top of the pop-up and
then select in the pop-up that appears to the side. (sensors at 100 Hz)

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Na ANALYSIS
1. On the Graph page, click on Data Summary (left hand side of the page), then click on
which ever run was a good Sodium run (probably Run #1) and re-label it as Na Run. If
there is more than one run, use the Delete Last Run at the lower right to eliminate the
unwanted runs. Click on the triangle and then on the unwanted run to delete it. If you
dont delete excess runs, the computer will run slower and may crash more often. Click
Data summary again to close it. If the Na Run is not showing on the graph, use the Data
Display tool (

) to select the Na Run by clicking on the black triangle.

2. Click the Graph Re-scale Tool ( ) on the toolbar above the graph. Use the Smart Tool
that is already open (looks like a set of cross-hairs). Move the Smart Tool directly above
the peak of the central maximum and release it. The Smart Tool will snap to the peak and
give the angle (left hand number in the attached coordinates box) to the center of the
central maximum. If you cant see the coordinate box it is probably above the top of the
screen. Grab the graph with the hand tool and drag the graph downward until the box
shows. Click on the Calculator (on toolbar at left of page) and enter the value for the
central max in line 1, Na zero = (your value). Click the Calculator button again to close it.
Move the Smart Tool box to somewhere on the 0 Relative Intensity line so it will be onscale for the H, He, and Hg graphs.
3. Repeat the process in step 2 to find the center of the 1st and 2nd order yellow lines to the
left of center and enter them in column 2 of the Na Angles Table under the Na Data tab.
Now find the center of the 1st and 2nd order lines to the right of center and enter them in
column 3. P.S. the 1st order lines are closer to the center.
4. Note that the Light Intensity vs. Angle graph (under Graph tab) says that the unit for the
angle is measured in radians. Since we have rotated the table by less than 1800 this is
clearly not correct. The reason is that the Rotary Motion Sensor measures the angle that
its own shaft turns through, but we need the angle that the table turns through. Turns out
that the number of radians for the shaft is approximately equal to the number of degrees
for the table. We measure the true correction in step 5.
5. With the table set so the index mark is on 600 click RECORD. Rotate the table 1200 to
the other 600 mark and click STOP. Examine the Light Intensity vs. Angle (rad) under the
Graph tab for this run. The initial angle should be exactly 0.00. To find the final angle
(rad) first move the hand tool to the right of the 1250 line. Click and hold and use the
hand tool to drag the graph until the 1250 line is near the left of the page. Then move the
hand tool until it is directly over the 130 on the horizontal axis. The hand tool should
change to a set of parallel plates. Click and drag the 130 to the right of the page. Now
place the hand over the 126 and when the plates appear drag it to the right side of the
screen. This should stretch out the data so 10 covers the horizontal field and you can
clearly see the end point. You should be able to read the value to the nearest 0.010.
Record this value in the Angle Correction table under the Na Data tab in the Shaft Angle
column. Your value for the Ang Corr = Table Angle/Shaft Angle should be close the one
already in the table, but the value you measured may differ slightly since the instruments
may vary slightly. If your value differs from mine, click on the Calculator button at the
left and replace my value (0.95488) with yours in line 3.

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6. The Ldev ang and Rdev angs are calculated by subtracting the central angle from the
ang left and ang right values and applying the Angle Correction that we just
calculated. The values will probably not be exactly the same because the diffraction
grating is probably not exactly perpendicular to the collimated beam of light. If the 1st
order angles differ by more than 10, you should readjust the grating and repeat the run.
7. Examine line 6 in the Calculator and verify that it is using Equation 1 from the theory to
calculate the grating spacing, d, from the averaged values for the deviation angles. The
values for the grating spacing, d, are given in column 6.
8. Calculate the average value for d and enter it here: ________. We will use this value for
the rest of the experiment. Click open the Calculator and in line 7, replace the nominal
value for the grating spacing (1666.7 nm) with the value you measured. Your value
should not be much different than the value the manufacturer quoted.

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PROCEDURE For Helium and Hydrogen (& Mercury)

1.

2.

This experiment should be performed in a room with reduced light levels although
complete darkness is not required. Set the High Sensitivity Light Sensor on the 0-1
(max sensitivity) range.
Figure 4 shows the 0th max (to the right) and the 1st order spectrum. You should be
able to see the 2nd order lines to the left of the 1st order.

Figure 4: 0th and 1st Order Spectrum

3.
For helium start the scan just outside the 2nd order yellow line. Open the Graph tab
and click RECORD and scan very slowly across the 2nd order yellow line on the left,
the 1st order lines, the central maximum and the 1st order lines on the right side
stopping just after the visible 2nd order yellow line. Click STOP. You can sweep
faster between the violet lines and the central max since there are no bright UV lines.
The lines will be brighter on one side due to the way the grating is made. The scan
should normally take about 5 minutes. It is important that you only sweep in one
direction! If you try to go back the Rotary Motion Sensor will lose track of where you
are! The angles may all be negative, depending on how you set up the spectrometer. If
so, place the hand icon over where it says angle at the bottom of the screen and
when the blue box appears, left click, select QuickCalc at the top of the pop-up and
then select in the pop-up that appears to the side. You may need to sue the Graph

4.
5.

re-scale tool (
) to see the graph clearly. Notice that when you examine the graph,
there is a very intense line about five degrees closer to the center than is the 2nd order
yellow line. Can you see this line on the screen? Why not?
The procedure for hydrogen is the same, but there are no bright infrared lines so you
can start the sweep just outside the bright red 1st order line.
If you do the optional mercury spectrum, the only difference is that there are
ultraviolet lines so you need to sweep slowly about 5 degrees past the last visible line
toward the center.
WARNING: Do not look directly at the Mercury lamp!

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He ANALYSIS
1. On the Graph page, click on Data Summary (left hand side of the page), then click on
which ever run was a good Helium run and re-label it as He Run. Similarly label the H
run and the Hg run, if you did it. Use the Delete Last Run at the lower right to eliminate
any unwanted runs. Click on the triangle and then on the unwanted run to delete it. If you
dont delete excess runs, the computer will run slower and may crash more often. Click
Data summary again to close it. Use the Data Display tool (

) to select the He Run

by clicking on the black triangle. Click Re-scale (

).
2. If you have lined the system up well and have bright spectrum gas tubes, the central peak
may have saturated (Intensity = 1), so the peak will be flat on top. If not, use the
technique described in step 3 to find the angle of the center of the central maximum.
However, the Smart Tool does not work well on a flat top. Click on the Data Selection
Tool (

) on the toolbar above the graph and adjust the selection box to contain just the

top of the central peak. Click the Graph Re-scale Tool ( ). You should now be able to
read the angle of center of the flat spot of within 0.1 rad. It is not necessary to be more
precise since the angle of the center will drop out of the final calculation. The only reason
we need it is to verify that the grating is correctly aligned and to prevent mis-labeling the
spectral lines on the left and right of center. Click on the Calculator (on toolbar at left of
page) and enter the value for the central max in line 8, He zero = (your value). Click the
Calculator button again to close it. Click on the Remove Active Element tool (
) to
remove the Data Selection box (you may need to click on the Data Selection box to
highlight it first). Then click on the Re-scale tool to return the graph to its original scale
so you can view the entire graph.
3. Use the Smart Tool that is already open (looks like a set of cross-hairs). If the Smart Tool
is not on-screen, click the Smart Tool icon (
), then right click on the Smart Tool
box, select Tool Properties and increase the number of Significant Figures to 4. Move
the Smart Tool directly above the peak of any spectral line and release it. The Smart Tool
will snap to the peak and give the angle to the center of the line (first of the two numbers
in the box). Your helium spectrum should look like the one in Figure 5. Use the Smart
Tool to find the center of the five brightest 1st order lines to the left (marked 1-5) of
center and enter them in column one (He ang left) of Table 3 under the He/H Data tab in
the corresponding row (i.e. line 1 in row one). Now find the center of the 1st order lines to
the right of center and enter them in column 2.

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Atomic Spectra EX-5546

5
432
Figure 5: He Spectrum

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center

2 34

4. If you did not do the Na spectra, click open the Na Analysis tab and do steps 4 and 5.
5. The deviation angles (He/H Data tab), He L ang and He R ang, are calculated by
subtracting the central angle from the He left and He right values and applying the
Angle Correction that we just calculated in step 4. The values will probably not be
exactly the same because the diffraction grating is probably not exactly perpendicular to
the collimated beam of light. If the 1st order angles differ by more than 10, you should
readjust the grating and repeat the run. If some values agree, but some do not; you
probably have mis-identified some lines.
6. Examine line 11 in the Calculator and verify that it is using Equation 1 from the theory to
calculate the wavelengths from the averaged values for the deviation angles. The
calculated values for the wavelengths are given in column 5. Column 6 lists the true
values and column 7 gives the difference between your measured values and the true
values.
7. From your results in step 6, estimate your uncertainty in the wavelength and enter it here:
________.

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Hydrogen ANALYSIS
1. On the Graph page, use the Data Display icon to select the H Run.
2. As before, measure the angle to the center of the central maximum. Click on the
Calculator (on toolbar at left of page) and enter the value for the central max in line 13, H
zero = (your value).
3. Your hydrogen spectrum should look like the one in Figure 6. Use the Smart Tool to find
the center of the four 1st order lines to the left (marked 1-4) of center and enter them in
column one of Table 4 under the He/H Data tab in the corresponding row (i.e. line 1 in
row one). Now find the center of the 1st order lines to the right of center and enter them in
column 2. To measure lines 3 & 4, you will probably need to expand the vertical scale to
see the lines. To do this, move the cursor over one of the numbers on the vertical axis.
The hand icon will change to two parallel lines with arrows. Click on the parallel lines
and drag them upward until you can see the 3 & 4 lines. Line 1 is the bright red line, 2 is
the blue-green line, and 3 is the violet line. Line 4 is also violet, but you wont see it and
if your data is noisy, may not find it in the data either.

1
Figure 6: H Spectrum

234

center

432

4. As before. Columns 3 and 4 in Table 4 are the corrected deviation angles in degrees.
Examine line 16 in the Calculator and verify that it is using Equation 1 from the theory to
calculate the wavelengths from the averaged values for the corrected deviation angles.
The calculated values for the wavelengths are given in column 5.
5. Column 6 lists the energy level from which the electron dropped to level 2 to produce the
observed photon of light.
6. Examine line 17 in the Calculator and verify that it is using Equation 6 from the Theory
to calculate the theoretical wavelengths for the four atomic energy level transitions (3-2,
4-2, 5-2, and 6-2). Column 7 lists the theory values and column 8 gives the difference
between your measured values and the theory values.
7. Do your values agree with the theory values considering the uncertainty you saw from the
helium spectra (step 9 of the Helium Analysis)? What does this show about Quantum
Mechanics? Why was this important?
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Mercury ANALYSIS
1. On the Graph page, use the Data Display icon to select the Hg Run.
2. As before, measure the angle to the center of the central maximum. Click on the
Calculator (on toolbar at left of page) and enter the value for the central max in line 18,
Hg zero = (your value).
3. Your mercury spectrum should look like the one in Figure 7. Use the Smart Tool to find
the center of the 3 brightest 1st order lines to the left (marked 1-3) of center and enter
them in column one of Table 5 under the Hg Data tab in the corresponding row (i.e. line 1
in row one). Now find the center of the 1st order lines to the right of center and enter them
in column 2.

center

Figure 7: Hg Spectrum
4. As before. Columns 3 and 4 in Table 5 are the corrected deviation angles in degrees.
Examine line 16 in the Calculator and verify that it is using Equation 1 from the theory to
calculate the wavelengths from the averaged values for the corrected deviation angles.
The calculated values for the wavelengths are given in column 5.
5. Which line(s) are in the ultraviolet?

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CONCLUSIONS
1. Did you measure any spectral lines in the infrared? Which one(s)?

2. Did you measure any spectral lines in the ultraviolet? Which one(s)?

3. How well did you measured values for Hydrogen agree with the predictions of Quantum
Mechanics? Historically, why was this agreement important?

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Appendix 1
Spectrophotometer Set Up
This part of the manual describes how to set up the Spectrophotometer System (see Fig. 3).

Mounting the Rotary Motion Sensor

This describes how to mount the Rotary Motion Sensor to the hinge on the Spectrophotometer Base. The top of the
Spectrophotometer Base has a short threaded post for centering the circular Degree Plate and for holding the Grating
Mount. It also has a magnetic pad for holding the Degree Plate, and a triangular shaped index marker. One side of
the base has a post upon which the Pinion can be stored when it is not in use. The other side has a spring-loaded
hinge and two small thumbscrews for mounting the Rotary Motion Sensor (included in the Spectrophotometer
System). On both sides of the base are large thumbscrews and square nuts used for mounting the Spectrophotometer
Base on the Optics Bench (see Fig. 4).

The Rotary Motion Sensor has a three step pulley attached to its shaft with a small thumbscrew. The sensor also has
a rod clamp attached at one end. First, remove the small thumbscrew and three step pulley from the Rotary Motion
Sensor shaft. Then, remove the rod clamp from the Rotary Motion Sensor (see Fig. 5). Remove the two small
thumbscrews from the threaded storage holes on the side of the Spectrophotometer Base and set them aside for the
moment. Remove the Pinion from the storage post on the opposite side of the Spectrophotometer Base and set the
Pinion aside for a moment (see Fig. 6). Rotate the hinge away from the side of the base until the hinge is almost
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perpendicular to the base. Use the two small thumbscrews to fasten the Rotary Motion Sensor to the lower set of
holes on the inside of the hinge. Place the Pinion all the way onto the Rotary Motion Sensor shaft and tighten the
Pinion on the shaft by turning the small thumbscrew on the side of the Pinion (see Fig. 7). Connect the Rotary
Motion Sensor to the PASCO interface.

Mounting the Degree Plate and Light Sensor Arm

The Degree Plate and Light Sensor Arm are shipped as a unit. The Light Sensor Arm is attached to the circular
Degree Plate with two small thumbscrews. The hole in the center of the Degree Plate fits over the short threaded
post on the top of the Spectrophotometer Base. Hold the Rotary Motion Sensor slightly away from the base so the
small diameter post on top of the Pinion is not in the way of the edge of the Degree Plate. Position the hole in the
plate over the short threaded post on the top of the base. Place the Degree Plate onto the Spectrophotometer Base.
Let the small diameter post on the top of the Pinion rest against the edge of the Degree Plate (see Fig. 8).

Written by Chuck Hunt