Infrared Camera
Safety Warnings
Warning: Hot Plate Safety
Purpose
An infrared camera reveals thermal radiation from everyday objects, showing that all objects emit electromagnetic radiation and that materials have strikingly different optical properties in the infrared vs. visible spectrum. Extremely versatile — works for blackbody radiation, heat transfer, EM spectrum, and energy efficiency topics.
Figure 1:
FLIR display showing thermal contrast between cold objects (ice cube tray) and hot objects (heat pack). The crosshair spot reads 23.9°C and the color scale spans -7.0 to 46.5°C.
Figure 2:
Sample objects for the demo: plastic bag (IR-transparent despite being visually opaque), ice cube tray, and reusable heat pack for showing thermal contrast.
Figure 3:
The FLIR camera on its tripod mount. HDMI cable connects to the projector for classroom display.