SNBP INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

MORWADI, PIMPRI, PUNE

CBSE AFFILIATION NO. 1130522

Certificate
This is to certify that,
Name of the Student- Vivek Ganesh Mali

Class - XI Science
Has successfully completed the project
Name of the Project- Absorption of radiant energy by different
colours

Under the guidance and observation of

Name of the Teacher- Ira Maitra
During the academic session 2022-2023, in the partial fulfilment of Practical
Examination conducted by AISSCE-2023.

Signature of the Teacher with Date:

Signature of the Principal with Date:

School Seal

Signature of the External Examiner-

 Acknowledgement

I, Vivek Ganesh Mali, student of SNBP International School, Morwadi, Pimpri,

Pune; affiliated to CBSE Board vide Affiliation No. 1130522, would like to

express my gratitude to the Institution for the support and knowledge I received

in the school. I feel in debt towards Principal Sweta Paithankar Madam and my

teacher Ira Maitra who gave me an opportunity to do the project Absorption of

radiant energy by different colours. I, once again, thank the school for providing

me with all the facilities and excellent education. I am also grateful to my

friends and family for their faith in me.

Thank You All!

Signature of Student ________________________

Date _____________________
Signature of the Receiver ___________________
 Index
1. OBJECTIVE
2. INTRODUCTION
3. EQUATION 1
4. EQUATION 2
5. EQUATION 3
6. EQUATION 4
7. EQUATION 5
8. TERMS AND CONCEPT
9. QUESTIONS
10. BIBLIOGRAPHY
11. MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT
12. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
13. VARIATIONS
14. CARRIERS
15. THANK YOU
Objective
The objective of this physics science fair project is to determine how different colours

absorb and re-emit radiant (light) energy, and to calculate the rate of energy flow.
Introduction
From where does the energy around you come? Most of the processes that are
critical for our day-to-day lives are driven by energy provided by the Sun. Energy
from the Sun warms the planet and keeps the global temperature within a range that
allows life to flourish. The energy stored in the food you eat can be traced back to
the Sun, through the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in the process of
photosynthesis. You might think that the gasoline that makes your car run or the oil
that heats your house are sources of energy that are not derived from the Sun, but in
fact, the energy in gasoline and oil is really a form of stored solar energy, since the
chemicals in gasoline and oil were created by plants, thousands of years ago, using
the Sun as a source of energy.

There are other important sources of energy in our world, including radioactive
decay, which heats the interior of Earth, and gravitational energy, which powers the
tides. But in terms of the energy needed for life, it is the Sun that "makes the world
go round"!

The focus of this science fair project is how the colour of an object affects its
absorption of radiant energy. The absorption of light involves an interaction between
photons, which are packets of light energy, and electrons, which are the negatively
charged particles that whirl around atomic nuclei. When a photon is absorbed by an
electron, the electron jumps to a higher energy level. For example, a photon of green
light carries energy in the range of 2.2 electron volts (eV). See Table 1, below. An
electron volt is a unit of energy. When an electron absorbs the energy of a 2.2-eV
green light photon, the energy of the electron increases by 2.2 eV. Energy is not lost
or gained. It is transmitted from the photon, which disappears, to the electron, which
now has increased its energy by 2.2 eV. When sunlight hits a surface, such as your
skin, the energy of many trillions of photons is changed from radiant energy to a form
of electronic energy, in the sense of energy stored in electrons. What happens to the
energy next? The electrons tend to return to the energy level they were at before
they absorbed the photons, called the ground state. In the process, they re-emit the
energy as infrared photons. Infrared photons are invisible to our eyes, but can be
detected as heat, and measured with an infrared thermometer. Table 1 shows the
wavelengths and energies of photons in the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum.
 Colour Wavelength (nm) Approximate energy (eV)

Violet 380-450 2.76

Blue 450-495 2.51

Green 495-570 2.2

Yellow 570-590 2.10

Orange 590-620 2.00

Red 620-750 1.65

Table 1. Approximate wavelengths and energies of visible light photons. Visible light
is part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum can be separated into different
colours: red, orange, green, blue, and violet. Objects that do not absorb any of these
colours look white, and those that absorb all of these colours appear black. Colored
objects absorb some colours and not others. Their colour is determined by the colour
of light they do not absorb, since that is the light that hits your eye. In this science fair
project, you will determine how colour affects the absorption of radiant energy. You
will use an infrared thermometer to measure the emission of energy as infrared
photons.

Imagine sunlight hitting a checkerboard made up of white and black squares. The
squares absorb different amounts of the solar energy. Solar energy that reaches
Earth is composed of visible light (about 50 percent), infrared radiation (about 47
percent), and ultraviolet radiation (about 3 percent). The black squares will start to
warm up; then after a while, they will reach a new stable temperature that is higher
than the nearby white squares. This is because the black region is absorbing more
energy in the form of photons than the white region is absorbing. The black squares
absorb photons in the visible and the infrared part of the spectrum and then re-emit
the energy as infrared photons.

You might be surprised to learn that everything around you is emitting radiation. In
fact, all objects at any temperature above absolute zero will radiate to some extent.
The wavelength of the radiation depends on a number of factors, but the most
important is the object's temperature. The hotter the object, the shorter the
wavelength of the light emitted (shorter wavelength means higher energy). This type
of radiation is called blackbody radiation. For objects near room temperature, such
as the checkerboard, the wavelength of the radiation is in the infrared part of the
spectrum. In the case of the checkerboard, the black squares are both absorbing
and emitting radiation at a higher rate than the surrounding white squares. Very hot
objects, such as the Sun, emit radiation in the visible part of the spectrum.

Based on the temperature increase caused by the light absorption, you will calculate
the rate at which energy is being absorbed and re-emitted using the
Stefan-Boltzmann equation. When you use the infrared thermometer to measure the
temperature of the colored paper, you are measuring the heat transfer by the
emission of electromagnetic waves that carry energy away from the hot object. The
radiation is in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The relationship
governing radiation from hot objects is called the Stefan-Boltzmann law.

Equation 1: P = σ AT4

● P is the power (energy per unit time), in watts (W).

● σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant (sigma) = 5.67 × 10-8 W/m2K4.
● A is area, in square meters (m 2).
● T is the temperature in kelvin (K). Add 273 to the temperature in °C to get kelvin.

The Stefan-Boltzmann equation relates the power, P, produced by a heated object to

its temperature, T. Power is energy per unit time. In the example of the black region
under sunlight, the power produced by the black region equals the amount of radiant
energy emitted (absorbed) every second. The unit of energy is the joule (J). Note
that the power varies with the fourth power of the temperature. If you double the
temperature, the power is increased by 2×2×2×2 = 16 fold.

Consider one of the black squares on the checkerboard. It will be hotter than its
light-colored surroundings. You can use the Stefan-Boltzmann equation to calculate
the rate at which it is radiating energy. If a hot object (temperature = T) is radiating
energy to its cooler surroundings at temperature Ts, the net radiation loss rate takes
the form shown in Equation 2:
Equation 2: P = σ A(T4 - Ts4)

● P is power (energy per unit time), in watts (W).

● A is the area, in square metres (m 2).
● T is the temperature of the hot object in kelvin. Add 273 to the temperature in
°C to get kelvin.
● Ts is the temperature of the surroundings, in kelvin.
● σ Stefan-Boltzmann constant (sigma) = 5.67 × 10-8 W/m2K4.

Let's look at an example. Say the black square on the checkerboard has an area of
0.01 m2 (about 4 inches by 4 inches). And let's say that it heats up to 35°C (308 K)
when placed in the sunlight. Finally, assume the surrounding temperature is 20°C
(293 K). Plugging these values into Equation 2, you get:

Equation 3: P = 5.67 × 10-8 W/m2 K4 × 0.01 m2 × (3084 - 2934) = 0.92 W

(See the Hyperphysics website in the Bibliography for an online Stefan-Boltzmann

equation calculator).

The black square is absorbing and re-emitting 0.92 J per second (0.92 W). This is
roughly 2 percent of the output of a 60-W lightbulb.

Once you know the energy that is being emitted per unit time, you can calculate the
approximate number of photons that are emitted. For the example above, the power
output is 0.92 W, which is the same as 0.92 J/sec. To convert joules to electron volts,
use the equation below:

Equation 4: 1 electron volt = 1.6 × 10-19 J

For the purpose of getting a rough approximation of the photon count, assume that
the average infrared photon energy is 0.000124 eV. Now you need to convert 0.92 J
into electron volts, and then divide by 0.000124 eV to get the number of photons that
are emitted per second:
Equation 5: (0.92 J) × (1 eV/1.6 X 10-19 J) × (1 photon/0.000124 eV) = 4.6 × 1022
photons/sec
​
​ J is joules
​ 1 eV = 1.6 × 10-19 J
​ Energy of each infrared photon that is emitted = 0.000124 eV

Equation 5 is set up to convert the energy in joules (remember that 1 J/sec = 1 W) to

the number of photons emitted per second. Note that the units are arranged so that
electron volts and joules cancel, leaving photons as the remaining unit.

This is a very rough approximation, but gives you an insight into the large number of
photons involved.

In the experimental procedure, you will compare the number of infrared photons that
are emitted by different colours. Remember that once the temperatures are stable
(which is true after a minute or so in the sunlight), the rate at which energy is
absorbed equals the rate at which it is emitted. It's amazing how much you can
discover from just the temperature difference of objects sitting in the sunlight!
Terms and Concepts

Energy

Radiant energy

Photon

Light energy

Electron

Energy level

Electron volt (eV)

Electronic energy

Ground state

Infrared photons

Infrared thermometer

Wavelength

Electromagnetic spectrum

Infrared proton

Absolute zero

Blackbody radiation

Stefan-Boltzmann equation

Stefan-Boltzmann law

Watt (W)

Power

Joule (J)

Vibrational ground state

​ Questions
​
1. Based on your research, how is the wavelength of a photon related to its
energy?
2. What happens to a photon of visible light when it is absorbed by an electron?
3. Scientists sometimes speak of energy being "degraded" when it is converted
into infrared energy. Why do they use this term?
4. Based on your research, what kinds of energy levels are most associated with
the emission of infrared photons by a molecule?
5. What is the approximate power output of the Sun, based on the
Stefan-Boltzmann equation? Look up the temperature and area online.
6. What fraction of the Sun's output hits Earth? Hint: The area of a sphere is A =
4pr2 , where r = 93,000,000 miles for the orbit of Earth.

Bibliography

1. Nave, R. (n.d.). Stefan-Boltzmann Law. Retrieved January 20, 2009.

2. Science Daily. (2009.) Radiant Energy. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
3. Clark, Jim. (2007). UV-visible Absorption Spectra. Retrieved January 27,
2009.
Materials and Equipments
Scissors
Colored construction paper
Infrared thermometer; available online from stores such as www.amazon.com
Lightly colored surface Optional: If you don't have a lightly colored surface, use
StyrofoamTM plates
Lab notebook
Graph paper
 ​ Experimental Procedure
1.Cut out a 4-inch construction paper square of each of the following colors: white,
yellow, blue, red, and black.

2.Place the squares in a location where they are in the sunlight, not touching each
other.

a.Place the squares on a lightly colored surface, such as white or tan carpet.

b.Don't put the squares on a hot surface. If you can't find a lightly colored
surface, use the Styrofoam plates to isolate the squares from the surface.

c.There should not be any shadows over the paper.

d.The squares should be protected from any breezes.

3.Make a note of the time and date in your lab notebook.

4.Wait for several minutes so that the temperatures of the squares become stable.

5.Take the temperature of each square with the infrared thermometer, three times
over a time period of about 1 minute. Record the data in a data table in your lab
notebook.

6.Average the results for each colored square.

7.Now that you have the data, calculate the energy flow and the energy carried by
the visible and infrared photons.

8.Answer the following questions:

a.What is the power output from the squares? Calculate the power that each
square is producing, using Equation 2 from the Introduction. Power equals energy
(joules or electron volts) per unit time (seconds).

b. Use the temperature of the white paper as the "surrounding" temperature

(s) in Equation 2. Use the temperature of the colored or black square as "T" in
Equation 2. How many photons are being emitted by the heated squares? Calculate
the number of infrared photons that are being emitted by the squares, assuming
each photon has an energy of 0.000124 eV.

c. How does the power output and the number of photons that are emitted
depend on the colour? Graph the temperature of each square, with colour on the
x-axis.
● Graph the temperature of each square, with colour on the x-axis.Graph the
power output of each square. Since power depends on the fourth power of the
temperature, a small difference in temperature can cause a big difference in
power output.
● Graph the number of photons emitted per second (use an energy of 0.000124
eV for each infrared photon).
● Graph the number of photons emitted relative to the black square. That is,
graph the black square as 100 percent, and the other squares relative to this
standard.
Variation
● Try other colours. Avoid shiny surfaces, such as aluminium foil, since the
infrared thermometer may not get a good reading from the shiny surface.
● Try heating water colored with different dyes, using solar energy. Calculate
the power output based on the temperature and surface area.
● Estimate the number of photons absorbed per second for each color. The
situation is more complex when looking at absorption than it is for emission,
since there are different wavelengths involved, from violet to infrared. You
may need to make some simplifying assumptions (for example, assume that
all of the visible photons have energy of 2.2 eV).
● Based on your results, estimate the relative energy captured by a forest and
an equivalent area of desert or of asphalt. Make a figure based on your
estimates.
 Carriers
Photonic Engineer

https://careerdiscovery.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/engineering/
photonics-engineer

Energy Engineer

https://careerdiscovery.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/engineering/
energy-engineer
Photonics Technician

https://careerdiscovery.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/engineering/
photonics-technician

Physicist

https://careerdiscovery.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/earth-physic
al-sciences/physicist
Mathematician

https://careerdiscovery.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/math-comp
uter-science/mathematician
Thank You