Find out if and how the heat radiation and light emitted by the incandescent lamp affects the temperature of the thermometer sensors, if one of the sensors is painted black for better absorption of heat radiation and light. Answer the question.
The black color of an object indicates that visible light is absorbed by it. Often, the black color also refers to the absorption of infrared light. Absorption of light means that light energy is converted into internal energy of the body. Consequently, the body temperature must rise.
In practice, it is difficult to measure such an effect, because the energy absorbed is small compared to the amount of energy lost due to heat transfer, for example. The energy absorbed as radiation is often not enough to raise the body's temperature significantly.
Therefore, we choose the smallest possible body for the experiment - the thermometer itself. Let's try if it works.
Test results
| Maximum temperature () of the black colored sensor | |
| The maximum temperature of the unpainted sensor () | |
| Temperature difference () |