Atomic emission spectroscopy

Imagine you have a big box full of different kinds of beads. Each type of bead represents a different type of atom, like gold, silver, or oxygen. Now imagine you give the box a good shake and they all get mixed up together.

We can use a special tool called an atomic emission spectrometer to sort the beads out again so we can see which ones are in there. First, we put a few beads of each type into the machine and zap them with a special energy source, which makes them excited and make light. Different types of beads will make different colors of light.

Next, we take a sample of the mixed up beads, and put them in the machine one at a time. When each bead gets zapped with the energy source, it will make its own special color of light. The machine records what colors of light are made, and that helps us figure out which type of bead it was, or what element it represents.

By using this special kind of tool, we can figure out what elements are in a substance, like water or soil, and how much of each element is there. This can be important for scientists and doctors to know, so they can understand what's happening in the world around us, or inside our own bodies!