Some students repeat Herschel's experiment - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 3
Some students repeat Herschel's experiment.
(a) They place four identical thermometers, P, Q, R and S, in the shade.
The table shows some of the readings on the th... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Some students repeat Herschel's experiment - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
Complete the table to show the reading on thermometer Q.
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Answer
The reading on thermometer Q is 18 °C, as the other thermometers in the shade show similar readings.
Step 2
State why the bulbs of the thermometers are painted black.
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Answer
The bulbs of the thermometers are painted black because black is the best absorber of radiation and heat, allowing the thermometers to take accurate temperature readings.
Step 3
Describe conclusions that can be made from the students’ results.
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Answer
From the readings taken in the spectrum of sunlight, it can be concluded that:
The temperature increases as we move from violet towards red in the spectrum.
Thermometer P, placed in the red region, recorded the highest temperature at 25 °C, while thermometer S, in the violet region, recorded the lowest temperature at 20 °C.
This indicates that different colors in the sunlight have varying heating effects, with red having the most significant effect.
Step 4
State why the students put the four thermometers together in the shade before placing them in the spectrum of sunlight.
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Answer
The students placed the four thermometers together in the shade to ensure that they all started at the same temperature before they were exposed to sunlight. This ensures a fair comparison of the thermometers' responses to different colors of light.
Step 5
Complete the sentence by putting a cross (X) in the box next to your answer.
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Answer
Too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation may cause:
