Like I know it has something to do with the electrons moving and having different energy levels (I learned something about it in chemistry class), but why does that make it a different color?
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The energy of light is related to its wavelength. The shorter the wavelength the higher the energy. As chemicals burn the energy released takes the form of light, and because the light can only be at the distinct levels based on the excitation of the elements being burned those wavelengths have distinct colors.
The energy of light is related to its wavelength. The shorter the wavelength the higher the energy. As chemicals burn the energy released takes the form of light, and because the light can only be at the distinct levels based on the excitation of the elements being burned those wavelengths have distinct colors.
Chemicals can only be at certain energy levels. So pretend one chemical can only be at levels 5, 17, and 25. When a chemical goes from level 25 to level 17 it releases 8 units of energy. Those 8 units of energy corresponds to one color. 7 units would correspond to another color.
So one chemical may be constantly emitting 8 unit bursts of energy while burning purple and another would be burning yellow with 16 unit bursts
Electrons around atoms form “shells”. To be in a shell an electron has to have energy, and the further away from the centre of the atom the shell is, the more energy an electron has to have.
So shell 1 is for lazy slow moving electrons, who don’t like walking, and want to eat four big macs a day. Shell 2 is for electrons who only want two big macs a day. Shell 3 is for electrons that like to hike on the weekends, and eat three big macs a week, etc.
When you burn something, it gives the electrons energy, and makes them bump up a shell to a spin class, kale smoothie, eating raw protein powder, Death Valley Ultramarathon shell. But, it isn’t permanent. Eventually, those electrons want to move back down to their original fat fuck shells, but they can’t, because they’ve done the quantum equivalent of ripping four fat lines of coke, and none of their friends want to talk to them until they’ve come down. So the electrons bundle that energy up, chuck it away, and fuck off back to their Double Whopper with extra bacon.
That energy they’ve gotten rid of takes the form of light. The more “levels of activity” that an electron gains while huffing down the subatomic Columbian marching powder that is heat, the more energy it has to shed to drop back home, and the “bluer” the light is, because of wavelengths and shit.
The difference between elements, and why they burn different colours, is that every element has a different number of electrons, so when they burn they will release a different amount of energy
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