Heat - Infrared Radiation

This practical lesson covers:

  1. How to determine which colour surfaces are the best absorbers and emitters of heat

Investing which colour surfaces are the best absorbers and emitters of heat


Aim:

To investigate how the amount of infrared radiation absorbed or radiated by a surface depends on the nature of the surface. 

Background information:

Hot objects emit heat in the form of radiation. The amount of heat emitted or absorbed does not just depend on the temperature of the object, but also the colour of the surface. In this experiment a Leslie cube is used to measure the heat emitted and absorbed by different coloured surfaces.

Variables:

  1. Independent variable - Different faces of Leslie's cube
  2. Dependent variable - The amount of heat emitted from each face.
  3. Control variables - The size and shape of Leslie's cube, initial temperature of water added

Which of the following would be the best choice for constructing Leslie's cube?

metal

glass

plastic

wood

0

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1

Leslie's cube has 4 painted sides. White, shiny black, matt black and exposed dull metal. Which of the faces would radiate the most heat?

matt black

dull metal

shiny black

white

0

/

1

Leslie's cube has 4 painted sides. White, shiny black, matt black and exposed dull metal. Which of the faces would radiate the least heat?

dull metal

shiny black

white

matt black

0

/

1