BEYOND WHAT WE CAN

SEE
By Domingo Dimas & Juan Diaz

INTRODUCTION
Herschel discovered the existence of infrared light by passing sunlight
through a glass prism in an experiment similar to the one youll do here.
As sunlight passed through the prism, it was dispersed into a rainbow of
colors, a spectrum. Herschel was interested in measuring the amount of
heat in each color and used thermometers with blackened bulbs to
measure the various color temperatures. He noticed that the
temperature increased from the blue to the red part of the visible
spectrum. He then placed a thermometer just beyond the red part of
the spectrum in a region where there was no visible light and found that
the temperature was even higher. Herschel realized that there must be
another type of light beyond the red, which we cannot see. This type of
light became known as infrared

Electromagnetic
spectrum

Electromagnetic Spectrum- the range of all

possible frequencies of electromagnetic
radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of
an object has a different meaning, and is
instead the characteristic distribution of
electromagnetic radiation emitted or
absorbed by that particular object.

 The greater the energy, the larger the frequency

and the shorter the wavelength. Given the
relationship between wavelength and frequency
the higher the frequency, the shorter the
wavelength it follows that short wavelengths are
more energetic than long wavelengths

Questions to be answered
1. Herschel's original purpose for performing his experiment was only to wind up a result he never
expected.
2. the purpose od a control in an experiment is to establish a baseline to compare the results of an
experiment. It can help to then come with the conclusion.
3. The frequency of Red light with a wavelength of 650nm is 1.5 x 10^14. This means is visible.
3.00 x 10^8m/s = (6.5^7m)f. F=1.5 x 10^14.
4. Frequency f blue light with a wavelength of 475nm. 3.00 x 10^8m/s = (4.75 x 10^-7)F. f= 6.3 X
10^14.
5. The energy for red light and blue light using E=hf. E= energy, h= (6.626 x 10^-34js) f=
Frequency
Red light: E =(6.626 x 10^-34js)1.5 x 10^14
E=10.0 x 10^-20

6. Blue light has more frequency than red light.

blue light: E=(6.626 x 10^-34js)(6.3x10^14)

E= 4.2x10^-19