Question

why absorption spectrum is called the photographic negative of emission spectrum ?

Answer 1

Hi,

When an electron exposed to light, it emits some of the waves and absorbs the rest. Emission spectra shows the wavelengths that exposed electron emits and the absorption spectra shows the wavelengths of those frequencies which get absorbed by the electron. This is the reason in absorption spectra those wavelengths are missing which are emitted and in emission spectra those wavelengths are missing which are absorbed that is why absorption spectrum is like the photographic negative of an emission spectrum.