Make Your Own Spectroscope |

Spectroscopy Science Fair Project

By Nola Taylor Redd, Live Science Contributor | November 26, 2013
06:05pm ET
 0

 0

 MORE
The visible light spectrum.

Credit: NASA

Most of the light that streams to our eyes appears white or yellowish,
but light, part of the electromagnetic spectrum, actually contains
several wavelengths, which the human eye sees as different colors.

Violet has the shortest wavelength that people can see, while red has
the longest. At both ends of the visible spectrum, there are
wavelengths that people cannot see, such as ultraviolet and infrared
radiation.

How a spectroscope works

A prism can break white light up into the visible light spectrum.

Credit: NASA

A spectroscope or spectrometer splits light into the wavelengths that

make it up. Early spectroscopes used prisms that split the light by
refraction — bending the light waves as they passed through the
glass. A good example of refraction is a rainbow, in which sunlight
passes through raindrops and is split into its different colors.
The spectral lines of hydrogen, helium and carbon. Each element has
a unique emission spectrum.

Credit: NASA

Modern spectroscopes often replace the prism with narrow slits

called diffraction grating. The slits spread the light into different
wavelengths by different amounts, which makes it possible to
measure the wavelengths.

Substances that emit light produce an emission spectrum. Very hot

metals, for example, emit light in all wavelengths and appear
"white-hot." On the other hand, gases, when heated, produce light
only at certain wavelengths, depending on the elements that are
present. Also, each element absorbs light at specific wavelengths,
called an absorption spectrum. Absorption spectra can be used to
identify elements.

Chemists discovered some elements — cesium (atomic number 55)

and rubidium (atomic number 37), for example — by using a
spectroscope. Knowing the absorption spectra of elements,
astronomers use spectroscopes to determine the chemical
composition of stars and other distant objects.

Spectroscopes need not be limited to professional scientists. Building

your own spectroscope using everyday items takes just under an
hour.
The needed tools, all of which should be relatively easy to find around
the house.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Materials needed

 A cardboard box: The box needs to be large enough to contain

a CD or DVD. I used a medium priority shipping box, but small
shipping boxes, shoe boxes or cereal boxes will work just as well.
 A DVD or CD: You won't be getting it back, so make sure it's
one you don't mind losing.
 One or two business cards/3x5 cards: Business cards are
thicker than standard index cards, so I felt they would let less
light through. Some websites suggest using two single-edged razor
blades, which would be thicker and certainly be straight, but
paper cards are more child-friendly.
 A cardboard tube: A toilet paper tube or part of a paper towel
or gift wrap tube works fine; larger tubes would, of course, need
to be cut to a more manageable size.
 Aluminum tape or aluminum foil and glue: Aluminum tape can
be found in most hardware stores, but standard foil from your
kitchen and glue work effectively.
 Scissors or X-acto knife
 Cellophane tape
 Pen/pencil/marker
 Ruler

Overview

Light will enter your spectroscope through a small slit (the

diffraction grating), reflect off the CD, and be seen through the
viewing tube. The CD will help to ensure that the three elements line
up correctly.

Procedure

Step 1: Begin by making a hole for the viewing tube. Set the CD on
top of the box, about a half an inch from the left edge on the side you
intend to place the tube. Use a pen to trace the circle in the middle
of the CD.
Place the CD/DVD about a half an inch away from the edge of the
box and trace the inside circle.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Step 2: Center the tube over the circle and trace it. Move the tube
over about half an inch and trace another circle. The two overlapping
circles create an oval.

Use the tube to create an oval, which will be cut out for the viewing
section.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Step 3: Use scissors or an X-acto knife to cut the oval out of the box.

Step 4: Make the viewing slit. Turn the box to the right so that the
viewing oval is on its side. Place the CD on the left-hand side of the
box and draw another small circle to mark the location.

Step 5: Cut a small rectangle about half an inch wide and 2 inches
high, with its base set on the circle created by the CD.
Use the CD/DVD to create the bottom height of the slit for your
spectrometer.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Step 6: Set the edges of two business cards parallel to each other
over the rectangle, leaving a small gap between them. Make sure the
gap is even, and not wider at the top or bottom.

If you decide to use razor blades, have the sharp edges create the slit
between the two. Again, make sure the slit is even, and not larger at
one end or the other.
Use the business cards (or razor blades) to create a narrow slit for
your spectrometer. Make sure the inside edges are parallel.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Step 7: Stand the box up. Tape the CD to the wall opposite the
viewing slit, with the printed side against the wall and the rainbow
side pointed toward the slit. Make sure that the edge of the CD is the
same distance from the box side as the slit.
Tape the CD/DVD to the inside of the box. The edge of the disc should
be the same distance from the side of the box as the slit.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Step 8: Seal up the box using the aluminum tape or aluminum foil.
Cover any region where light might get in. Leave the section
surrounding the viewing oval open.

Step 9: Insert the paper tube into the oval, with the interior end
angled toward the CD. Make sure that your angle is correct by
aiming the slit toward a source of light so that the full spectrum is
visible. Tape the tube in place and use the aluminum tape or foil to
seal up the edges.
The completed, light-sealed spectrometer. Insert tube into oval, then
use aluminum tape or foil to seal up any part of the box where light
can enter.

Credit: Nola Taylor Redd

Using your spectroscope

A good science fair project using your spectroscope is testing the

hypothesis that different gases produce different spectra of light.

Aim your spectroscope at various light sources. Look for specific

colors and notice the spacing between the colored lines.
An incandescent light bulb produces a continuous spectrum because
it is a heated solid – a tungsten filament. A fluorescent bulb produces
distinct colored lines because it contains mercury vapor.

Some other light sources to examine are a candle flame, a flashlight,

yellow street lights, blue street lights, the flame from a Bunsen
burner, a camping lantern and neon signs.

You can also examine sunlight, though you should NEVER LOOK
DIRECTLY AT THE SUN THROUGH YOUR SPECTROSCOPE. Instead,
aim your instrument at the light bouncing off of a white wall.

You will see spectral lines similar to these when you point your
spectroscope at different light sources.

Credit: NASA

More Science Fair Projects

 How to Choose a Science Fair Project Topic

 Middle School Science Fair Projects
 High School Science Fair Projects
 Weather Experiments / Science Fair Projects

Further resources:

 Illinois Institute of Technology: Science Fair Extravaganza

 NASA: Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)
 NASA: Introduction to Spectroscopy

YOU'D ALSO LIKE