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Course: Exploratorium > Unit 2
Lesson 4: CD Spectroscope- Introduction: Turn an old CD into a spectroscope to analyze light and color
- Build your own CD spectroscope: Materials, tools, and steps
- To do and notice: See the true colors
- What’s going on: Spreading light into a spectrum
- CD Spectroscope: Complete activity guide
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Introduction: Turn an old CD into a spectroscope to analyze light and color
Will the real white light please stand up? Two light sources that appear the same to your eye may actually be made up of different wavelengths of light. In this science snack activity, Paul Doherty of the Exploratorium Teacher Institute introduces a simple device called a CD spectroscope that will help you discover the truth behind the light you see.
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What's the difference between iridescent and fluorescent?(2 votes)
It's "incandescent" instead of "iridescent" :)
Incandescent bulbs generate light by heating up the filament (the wire thingy) in the bulb. Fluorescent bulbs generate light by sending electric current through an ionised gas.(2 votes)
How does the CD have the different colors on in the first place? How does it work?(2 votes)
Why did the florescent light-bulb give off different rainbows in the spectrometer then the incandescent? I know the florescent one is not a solid light bulb, but wouldn't it's light just blend together?(2 votes)