[CHM 115] Atomic Spectrum lab

[Andrew J. Pounds]

On 09/17/14 22:15,  wrote:
> Hello Dr. Pounds,
>
> The sample plot shown on your website has a negative slope for the 
> trendline, but I seem to be getting a positive slope on my trendline. 
> Should the sample plot have a negative slope, or is that due to using 
> a pizza box?

On the pizza box "home built spectroscope" the ruler attached to the 
pizza box had the scale increasing in the opposite direction.

> Also, the sample plot has the centimetres as the y-value and the 
> nanometres as the x-value. However, if we want to use the calibration 
> curve to find the actual wavelengths in nm, then shouldn't the 
> positions be switched with centimetres on the x and nanometres on the y?
>

It depends on how you think about it.  In this case we know the lines of 
the mercury spectrum, they are therefore the independent variable 
(normally plotted on the x axis) and the measurement was the dependent 
variable (plotted on the y-axis).

-- 
Andrew J. Pounds, Ph.D.  (pounds_aj at mercer.edu)
Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science
Mercer University,  Macon, GA 31207   (478) 301-5627
http://faculty.mercer.edu/pounds_aj