15 Impressive Infrared Light Facts For Kids That Love Science

Infrared is a type of wave that exists in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Infrared lights are invisible to the human eye. In the modern world, the uses of infrared are manifold.

Though infrared is invisible to the human eye, it can be viewed on a camera, as a camera is much more sensitive than the human eye, and it can detect infrared waves. The technology involving infrared is simple. A receiver receives the signal and converts it to electrical energy.

Since infrared is used to detect heat, if a house was viewed using infrared goggles, then the most heat would be detected in the kitchen where the oven or other cooking gadgets are kept. Fire gives off thermal radiation, which, when detected by infrared receivers, gives the fire signal.

Both visible and infrared light give off heat, and thus they can warm the earth by heating rocks, the ground, and water.

Though infrared cannot be seen by the naked eye, it can be viewed by using special gadgets like night goggles, infrared scanners, and others.

At a normal temperature, infrared is safe and has no harm if it falls on a person's face. However, prolonged exposure to the eye can cause damage to eye.

Visible light starts from violet light which has the shortest wavelength and extends till the red light that has the longest wavelengths within the visible spectrum, and thus they carry ambient energy. Infrared is further than the red light and has a longer wavelength which means they have a longer oscillation, a low frequency, and less energy.

Ultraviolet waves fall below the violet wave and have a much shorter wavelength. This means they have a high frequency with a greater oscillation and high frequency and thus carry more energy.

Infrared Light Invention History And Facts

Infrared is one of the biggest discoveries of the history of humankind as it serves numerous purposes for the commoner. Let us find out some cool facts about its discovery.

Infrared was discovered by William Hershel in 1800. He was an astronomer, and his experiments and findings of the infrared were published in the famous Royal Society of London. Following the discovery of the infrared, many other associated devices were invented. One of them was a thermopile that was made by Leopoldo Nobili in 1830.

In the year 1840, the first-ever thermal image was produced by John Herschel. Based on the principle of infrared, the famous scientist Kirchhoff made his theory on blackbody radiation.

In 1878, Samuel Langley invented a device that measured minute fluctuations in temperature based on infrared waves. The following year, one of the most important formulas in electromagnetism, that is, the Stefan–Boltzmann, was made.

The law relies heavily on blackbody radiation and helps to calculate the power of the radiation of the source body. The last two decades of the 19th century saw the blackbody equation being solved, which is also based on the fundamental principle of infrared radiation.

Famous physicist Max Plank solved the blackbody equation, which revolutionized the world of physics. Based on the principle of radiation, famous physicist Albert Einstein made his work on the photoelectric effect of light. The year 1945 saw the usage of infrared being used in the military.

The first portable weapons system was built that worked on infrared. In 1958, missiles were developed using the working principle of infrared light. In 1979, infrared was used in astronomy, and our universe got a whole new look based on this unique technology.

The 21st century saw a huge development when infrared sensors were implanted in rats so that they could view infrared lights.

Infrared Light Purpose

Everything on earth has its own specified uses and thus have own respective purposes. The same can also be said for infrared light.

Let us check out the uses and the purpose of using infrared light. Unknown to us, infrared wavelengths and infrared radiation is used in many different things. Let us check out some of the useful uses of infrared.

One of the most predominant uses of infrared is its extensive usage in night vision. Since it becomes extremely difficult to view visible light waves during the night, infrared technology comes in handy for night vision.

Not only does it provide a clear view of the surroundings, but it also has extensive use in thermal imaging.

A thermal image shows multiple layers and temperature differences and helps to distinguish between living and non-living objects. Night vision goggles and night vision cameras are used by the military for carrying out missions during the dark.

Infrared cameras and infrared energy, along with ir-radiation, have extensive use in tracking. The very basic defence of every nation against missiles is traced and tracked via infrared images since they use the electromagnetic spectrum, the electromagnetic radiation from them can be easily tracked, and thus huge amounts of casualties are avoided during wars.

Another major purpose of using the electromagnetic spectrum is for heating purposes. The radiation can be used as a means to provide heat, and thus room heaters are often made from infrared lights. Modern cooking methods like grilling to heat food often use the same technique of using infrared light from the electromagnetic spectrum.

Apart from using as a means to detect objects, infrared energy has many purposes that serve a great benefit to humanity. Any object that contains heat is known to radiate infrared waves.

It could also be cooler objects like an ice cube that also emits infrared waves. This purpose finds great usage in detecting the heat of a place.

Forest fires can be easily detected as these waves can easily pass through thick smoke. The waves show the heat that is released during forest fires and thus can act as a means of emergency to detect and prevent disasters.

A wide range of waves are present in the solar system, and with that, the infrared can also be used to paint a portrait of space and beyond. Detection of heat in other planets is carried out by satellites using infrared waves.

Surface water temperatures, warmer clouds, lighter clouds, hot air, and others can be easily detected by infrared.

Upon inspecting infrared data and infrared images, scientists can identify darker clouds that are essentially warm while the clouds that are light are colder. Like these cool techniques, other important detections, like measuring the temperature of the earth's surface and other associated things, can be easily inspected by analyzing infrared image that gets captured from infrared cameras.

Difference Between Infrared Light And Visible Light

There are different types of light based on their features of visibility, wavelengths, and positions in the light spectrum. Among them, the ones that are most common are visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light. So let us find out the difference between visible light with that of the infrared light.

As the name suggests, visible light is that light that is present in the visible spectrum, and thus, these lights can be viewed by the naked human eye. As for infrared light, these light rays are situated way beyond the visible spectrum and thus are invisible to the human eye.

There are significant differences in the wavelength of these two light waves. The visible light waves have an average wavelength of 380 nm–750 nm.

Waves in this range emit visible light and thus can be seen by the naked human eye. The wavelengths for infrared have longer wavelengths as they operate at a wavelength of around 700 nm–1 mm.

This range also makes the start of the non-visible range of the spectrum. Infrared light waves cannot be seen by the human eyes but can be detected by special equipment and instruments like cameras, night-vision goggles, and other similar objects.

Another difference between these two waves is their frequencies. As we know, the frequency of a wave is inversely proportional to its wavelength; this necessarily means that the frequency of infrared energy waves is much smaller than the visible spectrum.

Both visible light and the infrared light waves are near the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum. We also have near-infrared waves as well are far infrared waves. The near-infrared waves are near the visible spectrum, while the far-infrared waves are towards the extreme of the infrared waves that have a greater wavelength.

Everyday Uses Of Infrared Light

Though it may look very trivial, the use of infrared light is paramount, and we constantly depend on it radiation for the effective ongoing of our day to day life. Let us check out some of the everyday uses of infrared light.

A lot of household items work on infrared radiation, and among them, one of the most common devices is heat lamps. In these heat lamps, the infrared radiation is generated from the electric energy, and that, in turn, heats the lamp, and thus the lamps are lighted. The same method is also used in the case of toasters.

Another major use of infrared radiation is used in the working principle of a television remote control. Infrared radiation is used in communication between two gadgets at a short distance.

T.V. remotes use near-infrared light, which, when gets captured by the receiver placed on the television, helps in the effective surfing of the channels and other necessary functioning of the remote control.

Infrared is responsible for generating a large amount of heat source and thus is extensively used in modern cooking methods. Usage of infrared is quite safe, and for combustion purposes, it doesn't require the burning of fossil fuels and thus is also environment friendly.

Infrared radiation is used in a number of gadgets like toasters and grilling machines. These devices are modern and pretty easy to use and don't pose any harm to humans.

Detecting objects is one of the finest uses of infrared, and they are used for security and detection purposes. It provides the ability to see in the dark, and thus night goggles come in very handy.

Special cameras are also nowadays being built which works on infrared. These are helpful in viewing security footage that is recorded during the night.