Principal Sponsors
Makes grants to address the most serious social and environmental problems facing society, where risk capital, responsibly invested, may make a difference over time.
National Science Foundation
An independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science.
King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
Blackbody Spectrum
| How does the blackbody spectrum of the sun compare to visible light? Learn about the blackbody spectrum of the sun, a light bulb, an oven, and the earth. Adjust the temperature to see the wavelength and intensity of the spectrum change. View the color of the peak of the spectral curve. |
Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Blackbody
- Sun
- Light
- Quantum Mechanics
Sample Learning Goals
- Describe what happens to the blackbody spectrum as you increase the temperature. What happens to the shape of the curve and the peak of this curve?
- What happens to the blackbody spectrum as you decrease the temperature?
- Set the temperature to that of a light bulb (around 3000 K). Based on this information, do lightbulbs seem efficient? Why do light bulbs get hot?
- Imagine that you see 2 hot, glowing objects--one is glowing orange and the other is glowing blue. Which one is hotter?
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Visualization and Visual Illusions SIM Homework
|
Kathy Perkins, Carl Wieman | UG-Intro | HW | 1/9/11 |
| Blackbody Radiation and Wien's Law | Michael Pennisi | HS | Lab | 4/11/13 |
| Black Body Radiation: Seeking Patterns in Data Sets | Roberto Marrero | HS | Lab | 11/1/09 |
|
Blackbody Spectrum & Lasers Simulations Homework
|
Kathy Perkins, Carl Wieman | HS UG-Intro |
HW | 1/8/11 |
|
Blackbody Spectrum Simulation Homework
|
Kathy Perkins, Carl Wieman | UG-Intro UG-Adv |
HW | 1/9/11 |
| Solar Astronomy | Mark Kelly | HS | HW Lab |
11/11/07 |
| Blackbody Spectrum | Curt Miller | HS | Lab | 9/18/07 |
| 흑체 스펙트럼 SIM 사용지침서 | 이화국(Wha Kuk Lee) | MS HS |
Demo Lab |
5/19/13 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
|---|---|---|
|
Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Macromedia Flash 9 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Macromedia Flash 9 or later |
Macromedia Flash 9 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
|---|---|---|
|