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 for thermometer Q in the shade can be deduced as 18 °C, which is the same as thermometers P, R, and S.
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. This allows the thermometers to accurately measure the maximum temperature from the heat they absorb.
Step 3
Describe conclusions that can be made from the students' results.
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Answer
From the students' results, we can conclude:
The thermometer in red light (P) recorded the highest temperature (25 °C), indicating it has the highest heating effect.
The temperature decreases as we move towards violet light (S) with the lowest reading (20 °C).
Different colors in the spectrum have varying heating effects, with red producing the most heat and violet the least.
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 thermometers in the shade first to ensure they all started at the same temperature before being exposed to sunlight. This allows for a fair comparison of temperature changes caused by sunlight.
Step 5
Complete the sentence by putting a cross (✗) in the box next to your answer.
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