THE SCIENCE LAB

Make & Do Activity Kit

U.V Detective
Lots of things will uoresce under a black light (U.V light). Take a tour of your house in the dark and nd out what does and what doesnt. You might be surprised!

Time: 30 minutes Difculty: Hints: Be safe on your adventures in the dark!

Some household goods are not safe for children to explore so keep them supervised at all times.

a line of each colour 1. Draw highlighter onto a small bit of black card. You will not be able to see your lines very well. at your card under 2. Look black light to see which of your highlighter pens ouresce.

What you will need:

coloured highlighter pens black light torch black card

the highlighter pens to 3. Use write notes to your friends that only they can read with their black light!

are not the only 4. Highlighters things that glow around your house. Try and nd some other items that glow under your black light such as the spots on bananas glue sticks! What else 5. And can you nd? Remember some household products are not safe. Beware of hazzards such as stairs as you move about.

500 Harris St Ultimo Tel: 02 6217 0111 This work is licensed under the Creative POK346 Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238 http://play.powerhousemuseum.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionPO Box Haymarket NSW 1238 Commons Attribution-NonCommercialAustralia Tel: 02 9217 0111 NonCommercial 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC 3.0 AU) Australia ShareAlikeLicence 2.5 License.

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THE SCIENCE LAB

Make & Do Activity Kit

U.V. detective

Page 2

Whats going on?

The colours of light that the human eye is able to see is called the visible spectrum.

What else can I do?

Lots of things around the house uoresce when exposed to U.V. light. Many toys, clothes and shoes glow along with the following household items (Some items may require adult supervision): Tonic water Laundry detergent Canola oil

Mastercards (have secret M.C. written on them)

What else have you found ?

The visible spectrum ranges from red to violet. The light which has frequency higher than violet light is called ultra-violet. Ultra violet-light is beyond our eyes range for efciently detecting. A black light is a light bulb designed to emit ultraviolet light. These bulbs emit lots of light that we cant see very well. Some materials have a property that allows them to absorb ultra-violet light and then re-emit the light at lower frequencies that our eyes CAN see. This is called uorescence.

500 Harris St Ultimo PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238 Australia

9 Tel: 02 6217 0111 http://play.powerhousemuseum.com

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 2.5 License.