UV Radiation
Experiment
In this
experiment you will observe the effects of Ultraviolet radiation
on an ordinary household object.
You Will
Need:
*An article
of clothing - a black T-shirt works best
*A large
piece of cardboard
*A transparent,
waterproof material such as a clear garbage bag.
To prepare
the experiment:
1) Stretch
the article of clothing over the piece of cardboard and secure
it with tape.
2) Cover
1/4 of the clothing with a non-transparent material, such as another
piece of cardboard.
3) Place
your transparent material (plastic bag, etc.) over the article
of clothing and cardboard. This will ensure that precipitation
and moisture does not affect the experiment.
Leave the
final product outside where it can receive maximum UV exposure.
After two to three weeks, move the cardboard so it is exposing
1/4 more of the clothing (1/2 total). You may want to mark each
section on the clothing. Do the same after two to three more weeks,
uncovering 1/4 of the clothing at a time.
After about
two months the effects of UV should be visible. The article of
clothing should all be faded, but more so on the end that was
exposed for the whole two months.
Interested
in doing other UV experiments? Check out these links for more
information!
How
to make your own solar oven
Measuring
UV radiation using yeast
Lessons
on UV
