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Astronomy: Classroom Activities for Learning About Infrared
Light
A set of four activities that focus on improving student understanding
of infrared light.
Most students are familiar with the rainbow of colors that
make up visible light. They're often less comfortable dealing
with light from the other portions of the electromagnetic
spectrum – gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible
light, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves. Students
may not realize the important role played by non-visible light
in their everyday lives. For example, TV remote controls,
car-locking systems, and some grocery store check-out scanners
use infrared light to signal between devices or read bar-codes.
Computers use infrared light to read CD-ROMs. Night-vision
goggles register infrared light (also known as heat radiation),
as do search-and-rescue monitors that look for the heat given
off by someone lost in the wilderness at night.
These hands-on and demonstration activities are designed
to complement instruction on the electromagnetic spectrum
for middle and high school students; they are not a complete
curriculum. Each activity has been designed to take 1-2 class
periods.
Get details
and files to download
New: supplementary
information about electrical components in the Infrared
transmitter circuit has been added to the instruction material
(August 25, 2003)
Grade Level - Middle/High School
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