There was 2.657X10 -2 grams of copper in a .3014 gram sample. Spectroscopy is the measurement and interpretation of the electromagnetic radiation absorbed, scattered, or emitted by atoms or molecules. Interacting chemical species can be detected by spectroscopy because each species has a characteristic energy state. Applications of spectroscopy to chemical analysis, electromagnetic radiation may be considered as an electromagnetic wave traveling at the speed of light.
Photons travel at the speed of light.
Photons are thought of as particles of energy radiating from a source and characterized by an electromagnetic wave. The energy of a photon can be described by the formula. A chemical element like a metal can emit light when sufficient energy is added to excite their outer electrons and the electrons return to the ground state. Because the electrons can only exist in discrete energy levels, which are different for each element, the wavelengths of the emitted light are characteristic of the element. Not only does this characteristic emission of light provide a means of qualitative analysis but quantitative analysis is also possible with appropriate calibration curves.