A closer look at the spectrum of helium

When observing the spectrum of helium in an introductory physics laboratory, a complete and satisfactory laboratory experience that provides insight into the connection between the observed wavelengths and the structure of the atom, is more difficult to achieve than when observing hydrogen. The reason for this is that a complete diagram of the observed helium spectrum and the accepted wavelengths are much harder to find in readily available references than they are for hydrogen. Using a reference that does provide this information, I have developed what I believe is a more complete and informative experiment on the spectrum of helium that other !!physics instructors may find useful.