Why do elements have a characteristic color when exposed to heat?

Answer 1

u can give your daughter or son one cent but can u give half cent? similarly things in nature are quantized - they can release energy only equal to difference of the energy level their electrons can jump so, as arrngement of electrons is different in different elements so is the difference in frequencies they emit hence the different colours

Answer 2

When you heat an atom it will vibrate faster and faster and this causes electrons in the atom's electron shells to jump to a higher energy level shell. These electrons then fall back to their proper place and in doing so they release the energy that they absorbed to make the jump up as light. The color of this light depends on the energy between the two shells.

Next you need to understand that the atoms of different elements have different numbers of electrons round them and therefore the energy difference between the shells as electrons jump when heated will be different - therefore the colour of light emitted will be different.

Answer 3

Because different elements have different energy level that their valance electrons are at and these valance electrons when subjected to energy reach a higher level where they return to the resting state energy level. While dropping back to their resting level they emit a photon of light that has a certain wavelength, different wavelengths, that the eye perceives as different colors.

Answer 4

Electrons are excited into higher energy levels and light is emitted as they return to a lower energy state. The energy levels are different for different elements hence the color is different as color of light is determined by the frequency and this in turn is related to the energy gap. (E=hv where h= Planks constant, v= frequency)

Answer 5

Elements have a characteristic color when exposed to heat because of line spectra. They release light energy in specific colors that depend on their number of valence electrons.

Answer 6

they have different electron energy levels.

Answer 7

as anything is heated it loses heat back to is surrounding by radiation . when an object is losing heat at the same time there is a change in color.