This conversion begins with light energy that is changed into mechanical energy and heat. Plants act as an energy converter, and they can change the light energy into chemical energy that plants use to grow. Plants use energy from the sun to drive the chemical change in the leaves of plants. Sunlight is responsible for many things, including the production of our food. Fun Activities to Try With Your Radiometer Therefore, as the light gets brighter, the vane begins to spin faster and faster. Stronger light means that more energy will be absorbed on the dark side, and the air molecules will “kick off” faster and with greater force. As the air molecules “kick” away from the dark side of the vane, they form convection currents and momentum transfer causing the vanes to spin away from the side from which they kicked (that is away from the dark side of the vane). The freely moving air molecules bounce off the dark side with added energy. As the dark side absorbs the radiant energy, a difference in temperature develops between the vanes. As light (or infrared radiation) hits the vanes, the lighter side reflects the light while the dark side absorbs it. The opposing sides of each vane within the radiometer are alternately dark and light in color. The “lowered density of the air” inside the radiometer means that the air molecules are able to move about more freely. More than 99% of the air has been removed, leaving few air molecules inside the radiometer compared to the formerly trillions of air molecules. The atmosphere inside a radiometer is a nearly perfect vacuum. What causes the vanes of the radiometer to spin? The device was developed to measure the intensity of radiant energy, or heat. Sir William Crookes invented the original radiometer in the mid-nineteenth century. This is because some energy is used to do work, and some energy is converted to heat. In all energy conversions, the useful energy output is less than the energy input. We call this change conversion.ĭuring this conversion, energy is changing from one form to another. One of the reasons we tend to take energy for granted is that it is constantly changing from one form to another. In actuality, every facet of our life involves energy. Most of us don’t realize how important energy is in our lives. Show how heat and mechanical energy are products of energy conversion.Help you understand the principles of energy conversion.Developed to measure the intensity of radiant energy, or heat, the radiometer will: The radiometer is a light bulb-shaped device containing an object that looks like a weather vane (wings arranged in a circle like spokes of a wheel). By: Tami O’Connor – Taken From Litetronics
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