Quote from Gill987
What are two ways that atoms can be made to emit electromagnetic emissions?
It's a question on my Chemistry Lab Report. I know when electrons go down an energy level they emit stuff, but I don't know another.
Thanks.
You got the gist of it: you're trying to excite an electron so that it goes up an energy level then promptly falls back down, releasing light/electromagnetic radiation. I don't think there's another "way" for an atom to emit light besides electron excitation. My guess is that the answer you're really probably looking for is ways to excite an electron, which are:
1. Have it absorb energy from photon, like 0sirt said, with just the right frequency.
2. Have it absorb energy from a collision with another atom or ion.
There's a "third" way by applying heat, but it only really applies to solids like metals, which vibrate fast enough that they glow and emit light. Otherwise, heat would just increase the number of collisions, which I've mentioned already.
Some sources I consulted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_excitation and
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/hydrogen/levels.html________________
"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained."
- Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain
]
