Make your own spectrometer with a CD. Use a pressed compact disc, rather than a blank disc, for best results. Making a spectrometer What is a spectrometer? Light can be split into its spectrum of colours using a spectrometer. Different light sources will give different. The final step in building your CD spectroscope is to place this square directly onto the top of your open tube and CD container. Construction of a handy spectroscope using a compact disk (CD) or a CD-ROM and its application to the observation of emission and absorption spectra are described. Make Your Own Spectroscope . At both ends of the visible spectrum, there are wavelengths that people cannot see, such as ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Early spectroscopes used prisms that split the light by refraction — bending the light waves as they passed through the glass. A good example of refraction is a rainbow, in which sunlight passes through raindrops and is split into its different colors. The spectral lines of hydrogen, helium and carbon. Make Your Own Spectroscope . The box needs to be large enough to contain a CD or DVD. Structure of the CD spectroscope: my cereal box spectroscope (arrow: the slit) viewing the spectrum: Let's look at the spectra of some common light sources. Intro: DIY Spectroscope. A spectroscope is an instrument used to break light up into its constituent colors, just like a prism does, showing the light spectrum. Spectroscope on an ink blue. Download this template, plus more (25 in all) Spectroscope on an ink blue background. Print Slide & More on Combo CD/Download Only. DIY spectroscope under 1. Now you can glue the CD slice in place, inside the spectroscope. Mini Spectroscope c1 9 Al an S hw b er A ta ch pi eof CD inside, shiny side howing. Each element has a unique emission spectrum. Credit: NASA. Modern spectroscopes often replace the prism with narrow slits called diffraction grating. The slits spread the light into different wavelengths by different amounts, which makes it possible to measure the wavelengths. Very hot metals, for example, emit light in all wavelengths and appear . Also, each element absorbs light at specific wavelengths, called an absorption spectrum. Absorption spectra can be used to identify elements. Knowing the absorption spectra of elements, astronomers use spectroscopes to determine the chemical composition of stars and other distant objects. Building your own spectroscope using everyday items takes just under an hour. The needed tools, all of which should be relatively easy to find around the house. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd. Materials needed. A cardboard box: The box needs to be large enough to contain a CD or DVD. I used a medium priority shipping box, but small shipping boxes, shoe boxes or cereal boxes will work just as well. A DVD or CD: You won't be getting it back, so make sure it's one you don't mind losing. One or two business cards/3x. Business cards are thicker than standard index cards, so I felt they would let less light through. Some websites suggest using two single- edged razor blades, which would be thicker and certainly be straight, but paper cards are more child- friendly. A cardboard tube: A toilet paper tube or part of a paper towel or gift wrap tube works fine; larger tubes would, of course, need to be cut to a more manageable size. Aluminum tape or aluminum foil and glue: Aluminum tape can be found in most hardware stores, but standard foil from your kitchen and glue work effectively. Scissors or X- acto knife. Cellophane tape. Pen/pencil/marker. Ruler. Light will enter your spectroscope through a small slit (the diffraction grating), reflect off the CD, and be seen through the viewing tube. The CD will help to ensure that the three elements line up correctly. Set the CD on top of the box, about a half an inch from the left edge on the side you intend to place the tube. Use a pen to trace the circle in the middle of the CD. Place the CD/DVD about a half an inch away from the edge of the box and trace the inside circle. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd Step 2: Center the tube over the circle and trace it. Move the tube over about half an inch and trace another circle. The two overlapping circles create an oval. Use the tube to create an oval, which will be cut out for the viewing section. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd Step 3: Use scissors or an X- acto knife to cut the oval out of the box. Step 4: Make the viewing slit. Turn the box to the right so that the viewing oval is on its side. Place the CD on the left- hand side of the box and draw another small circle to mark the location. Step 5: Cut a small rectangle about half an inch wide and 2 inches high, with its base set on the circle created by the CD. Use the CD/DVD to create the bottom height of the slit for your spectrometer. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd Step 6: Set the edges of two business cards parallel to each other over the rectangle, leaving a small gap between them. Make sure the gap is even, and not wider at the top or bottom. Again, make sure the slit is even, and not larger at one end or the other. Use the business cards (or razor blades) to create a narrow slit for your spectrometer. Make sure the inside edges are parallel. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd Step 7: Stand the box up. Tape the CD to the wall opposite the viewing slit, with the printed side against the wall and the rainbow side pointed toward the slit. Make sure that the edge of the CD is the same distance from the box side as the slit. Tape the CD/DVD to the inside of the box. The edge of the disc should be the same distance from the side of the box as the slit. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd Step 8: Seal up the box using the aluminum tape or aluminum foil. Cover any region where light might get in. Leave the section surrounding the viewing oval open. Step 9: Insert the paper tube into the oval, with the interior end angled toward the CD. Make sure that your angle is correct by aiming the slit toward a source of light so that the full spectrum is visible. Tape the tube in place and use the aluminum tape or foil to seal up the edges. The completed, light- sealed spectrometer. Insert tube into oval, then use aluminum tape or foil to seal up any part of the box where light can enter. Credit: Nola Taylor Redd. Using your spectroscope. A good science fair project using your spectroscope is testing the hypothesis that different gases produce different spectra of light. Look for specific colors and notice the spacing between the colored lines. A fluorescent bulb produces distinct colored lines because it contains mercury vapor. Instead, aim your instrument at the light bouncing off of a white wall. You will see spectral lines similar to these when you point your spectroscope at different light sources. Credit: NASA More Science Fair Projects. Further resources.
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