Crazy Remote
Want to have some quick science fun with your TV remote? Then try this experiment next time you flip on the tube:
Materials:
- metal frying pan or cookie sheet
- TV remote control
- plastic sheet
[am4show have=’p8;p9;p19;p46;p66;p89;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]
Making IR Visible to the Human Eye
Infra-red light is in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that isn’t usually visible to human eyes, but using this nifty trick, you will easily be able to see the IR signal from your TV remote, remote-controller for an RC car, and more!
- TV remote control
- camera (video or still camera)
Download Student Worksheet & Exercises
Exercises
- Look over your data table. What kinds of objects (plastic, metal, natural, etc.) allow infrared light to pass through them?
- Why does the camera work in making the infrared light visible?
[/am4show]
Interesting! What do you think about it now?
Thank you. We tried the cookie sheet. It still worked. However, we noticed that you had to be within 3-4 feet of the television for it to work, if you stood any farther back it wouldn’t work.
At first guess (without seeing your setup), your bowl may be reflecting the light and getting it bounced back your TV receiver. White walls are very reflective also, so this may be adding to the effect. What happens if you use something not curved, like a cookie sheet?
When we did the Crazy Remote, the TV would turn on when the remote was behind the metal bowl. But when we tried to look up why the infra-red light went through the metal, people were saying that infra-red light cannot pass through metal. Why did it work for us?
It probably didn’t go through your body, but bounced around it. What color shirt was he wearing? White is like a mirror to IR and makes it bounce all over the place!
Here’s a question …. the IR went through my 7 year old’s body, but not our 13 pound chihuahua/poodle mix. We tried this several times!!! Why is that, do you think?
wow… I have that 2nd camera!! O_O
Most cameras can detect IR – the studio camera we used to shoot the main video was not able to, however a home video camera (shown in the video) is able to… pretty cool, isn’t it?
In the first part of the video when he said that we couldn’t see anything-any light-coming from the remote, why didn’t it show up when you were recording? if we could see it later on in the video even not through the camera?
Yes, you can detect UV light by using these methods.
It is awesome and it works with all kinds of camera’s, even mobiles. I wonder if there is a way of detecting UV rays.
The camera can see in different wavelengths than you can – it’s just more perceptive. What else can you see if you walk around with it? Sometimes lights, antennas, and firelight work. 🙂
This is very cool and it makes me wonder, what other infrared activity can my camera pick up? Why do I not constantly see things in the camera that I don’t see with my eyes?