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published by
the American Association for the Advancement of Science
This item is a standards-based lesson plan for grades 6-9 on the nature of light. It provides a detailed blueprint for reproducing the historical experiment in which William Herschel "accidentally" discovered infrared radiation in 1800. Students build their own observational device out of a cardboard box and a prism, then use alcohol thermometers to measure temperatures at various locations along the spectrum they observe. The lesson promotes early understanding that there is radiation other than visible light being emitted from the sun, and also gives them authentic experience in the scientific process. The resource includes warm-up questions, a reproducible student lab guide, assessments with answer keys, and plentiful teaching tips.
**NOTE: To ensure student safety, alcohol thermometers are highly recommended over mercury thermometers. This item is part of a larger collection of lessons, all of which are aligned with specific AAAS Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy.
NSES Content Standards
Con.A: Science as Inquiry
This resource is part of 3 Physics Front Topical Units.
Topic: Nature and Behavior of Light
Unit Title: Behavior of Light Inquiry-Based Investigation Grades 7-9
Topic: Nature and Behavior of Light
Unit Title: Electromagnetic Radiation and the Spectrum In this exceptional inquiry-based lesson plan, students discover that there is radiation other than visible light being emitted from the sun. They build their own observational device out of a cardboard box, prisms, and alcohol thermometers......replicating the historical experiment in which William Herschel "accidentally" discovered infrared radiation in 1800. Includes warm-up questions, lab guide, assessments, and teaching tips. Link to Unit:
Topic: Nature and Behavior of Light
Unit Title: Electromagnetic Radiation and the Spectrum Inquiry-Based Investigation Grades 7-9
ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!
Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=9107">American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, January 31, 2009.</a>
AIP Format
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, 2004), WWW Document, (http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/).
AJP/PRST-PER
Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment (American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, 2004), <http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/>.
APA Format
Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. (2009, January 31). Retrieved December 12, 2024, from American Association for the Advancement of Science: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/
Chicago Format
American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, January 31, 2009. http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/ (accessed 12 December 2024).
MLA Format
Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2004. 31 Jan. 2009. 12 Dec. 2024 <http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{
Title = {Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment},
Publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
Volume = {2024},
Number = {12 December 2024},
Month = {January 31, 2009},
Year = {2004}
}
Refer Export Format
%T Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment %D January 31, 2009 %I American Association for the Advancement of Science %C Washington, DC %U http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/ %O text/html
EndNote Export Format
%0 Electronic Source %D January 31, 2009 %T Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment %I American Association for the Advancement of Science %V 2024 %N 12 December 2024 %8 January 31, 2009 %9 text/html %U http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/sensing-the-invisible-the-herschel-experiment/ Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. This resource is stored in 5 shared folders. You must login to access shared folders. Science NetLinks: Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment:
Covers the Same Topic As
PBS Learning Media: Infrared Gallery
A high-quality set of interactive Flash images produced with infrared photography. The photographic technique allows users to "see" the heat radiated by each object. relation by Caroline Hall
Is Supplemented By
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/timeline/people/herschel.html
This is a short biography of Friedrich William Herschel, compiled by the Molecular Expressions project at Florida State University. relation by Caroline Hall
Covers the Same Topic As
TryEngineering: Infrared Investigations
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