Abstract: Active Astronomy: Classroom Activities for Learning About Infrared Light A set
of four activities that focus on improving student understanding of infrared
light.

Most students are familiar with the rainbow of colors that make up visible
light. They're often less comfortable dealing with light from the other
portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet
light, ... visible light, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves. Students may
not realize the important role played by non-visible light in their everyday
lives. For example, TV remote controls, car-locking systems, and some grocery
store check-out scanners use infrared light to signal between devices or read
bar-codes. Computers use infrared light to read CD-ROMs. Night-vision goggles
register infrared light (also known as heat radiation), as do search-and-rescue
monitors that look for the heat given off by someone lost in the wilderness at
night.

These hands-on and demonstration activities are designed to complement
instruction on the electromagnetic spectrum for middle and high school
students; they are not a complete curriculum. Each activity has been designed
to take 1-2 class periods.