The Long & Short of Absorption & Transmission

• This short video describes how different forms of radiant energy interact with different materials and demonstrates an easy experiment that could be replicated in the classroom. 
• The demonstration involves viewing one's hand with an infrared camera behind three different types of materials: glass, clear plastic and black plastic.

Positives

• A thorough verbal explanation and visual demonstration show how certain materials like glass can absorb infrared radiation, similar to how greenhouse gases also trap infrared radiation.
• The narrator describes all components of the demonstration, easily allowing a teacher to replicate this same setup in their classroom if they have access to the infrared camera technology.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with terms like visible light, infrared radiation, and wavelength.
• To replicate this in the classroom, you will need an infrared camera, glass, clear plastic, and black plastic.

Differentiation

• Before watching the video, consider having students record their predictions on absorption or transmission of infrared radiation and visible light for each of the three materials tested in the video.
• To dive deeper into the science of the greenhouse effect and climate change, high school students may benefit from this interactive online lesson: Heating It Up: The Chemistry of the Greenhouse Effect.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.