Chapter 3

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The purpose of this experiment was to demonstrate the Inverse Square Law for Heat

and to present the data obtained from identifying the intensity of radiation using the radiation

apparatus given different distances. The results of the experiment were listed in the table

below.

Table 3.1. Relationship between the Distance and the Radiometer Reading with the

Corresponding Log Values

Radiometer Reading, R
Distance, X
W Log 10 of X Log 10 of R
(mm) ( )
m
2

160 435 2.2041 2.6385

260 180 2.4150 2.2553
360 95 2.5563 1.9777
460 59 2.6628 1.7709
560 41 2.7482 1.6128

The results of the experiment were obtained using the radiometer positioned at

different distances along the horizontal track of the radiation apparatus. For the first trial, the

initial distance, the radiometer was placed 225 mm from the heat source observing that the

radiometer sensor surface is 65 mm from the center line of the detector therefore adding it to

the initial distance of 160 mm. The initial distance of the radiometer sensor surface produces

w
a reading of 435 on the radiation meter. For the second trial, the radiometer was
m2

6
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w
moved 100 mm farther from the initial distance and yielded a reading of 180 2 . Adding
m

w
another 100 mm from the previous trial, the radiation meter read 95 for the third trial.
m2

w
For the fourth trial, moving another 100 mm from the previous distance, it yielded 59
m2

of radiation. For the last trial at the distance 560 mm away from the sensor, the radiometer

w
reading of 41 was produced. The results of the experiment exhibited the inverse
m2

square law that as the distance increases, the radiometer reading decreases. The results of the

experiment will be further verified by plotting the logarithmic values of the distance and of

the radiometer reading on a graph.

2.5 f(x) = - 1.89x + 6.82

2
Log 10 of R

1.5

0.5

0
2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8
Log 10 of X

Figure 3.1. Graph of Log Distance vs. Log Radiometer Reading

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From Figure 3.1., observing the graph of log distance versus log radiometer reading,

the graph displayed a line sloping downward. The line gave a line equation of y = -1.8947x

+ 6.8206 with a slope of -1.8947. The results indicated an inversely proportional relationship

between the distance of the radiometer sensor surface from the source and the intensity of the

radiation on the surface.

The results of the experiment showed that as the distance of the radiometer sensor

surface from the thermal radiation unit increases, the thermal radiation read by the radiation

meter decreases. This is because as the distance is increased, the heat radiation emitted from

the source will be likely to spread out to the surroundings and therefore is of a lesser

radiation intensity, thus, the reading of the farthest distance is the lowest. Therefore, the

experiment verifies the Inverse Square Law for Heat that the intensity of radiation on a

surface is inversely proportional to the square of the distance of the surface from the

radiation source.