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Infrared radiation practical graphs

The infrared radiation required practical produces two graphs, a surface heating under a lamp until it reaches equilibrium, and a hot surface cooling with no lamp. The graph builder draws both for matt black, matt white and shiny silver, with the lamp distance and the object as options, so the class compares real curves instead of a sketch.

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MBMrs Bennet
Science graph builder
IR absorption: surface colours New graph
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2468101214161820510152025303540455055600Temperature (°C)Time (min)

A hand-built replica of the real builder page, not a screenshot. Every control shown exists in the product.

Part of the Graph builder, Half life graphs, Velocity time graphs, IV characteristic graphs and Distance time graphs pages.

Why this works in Physics

The heating graph above shows the three surfaces climbing from room temperature and flattening as each reaches the point where it emits as fast as it absorbs. Matt black settles highest and soonest, shiny silver lowest and slowest, and the gap between them is the answer to the question the practical is asking. Moving the lamp further away lowers every plateau, which is the control variable the method insists on.

The cooling graph reverses it, and this is where pupils trip. They expect the black surface to stay hot because it absorbed the most, and instead it cools fastest because a good absorber is a good emitter. Two curves from the same starting temperature make that visible in one glance, and the crosses at every minute are the readings a pupil would take.

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