Slide 1

Title: Electromagnetic spectrum

Content:
The entire range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation extending from
gamma rays to the longest radio waves

Slide 2
Title: Infrared
Content:
What is infrared?
A electromagnetic wave with a wavelength just greater than that of the red end of
the visible light spectrum but less than that of microwaves. Infrared radiation has a
wavelength from about 800 nm to 1 mm, and is emitted particularly by heated
objects.

Slide 3
Title: How was infrared discovered?
Content:
In the year 1800, Sir William Herschel discovered the existence of infrared by
performing an experiment. Herschel passed sunlight through a prism. As sunlight
passes through the prism, the prism divides it into a rainbow of colors called a
spectrum. A spectrum contains all of the colors which make up sunlight. Herschel
was interested in measuring the amount of heat in each color. To do this he used
thermometers with blackened bulbs and measured the temperature of the different
colors of the spectrum.
He noticed that the temperature increased from the blue to the red part of the
spectrum. Then he placed a thermometer just past the red part of the spectrum in a
region where there was no visible light and found that the temperature there was
even higher. Herschel realized that there must be another type of light which we
cannot see in this region. This light was called infrared.

Slide 4
Title: Uses of Infrared
Content:
Infrared radiation can be used in many ways. It is used for cooking and heating. It is
also used for communications signals, including TV remote controls and optical fiber
communications. Information can be transmitted using analogue or digital signals. It
can also be helpful in astronomy.

We cannot see infrared radiation, but we can feel it as heat energy. Infrared sensors
can detect heat from the body. They are used in:

security lights
burglar alarms

Infrared radiation is also used to transmit information from place to place, including:

remote controls for television sets and DVD player

data links over short distances between computers or mobile phones

Infrared radiation used in astronomy for observing and researching on stellar

objects:
Sensitive infrared cameras on space telescopes
The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)