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Table of Contents

SCISAT-1

Assignment

Voltmeter

Students have been given a photocell attached to a voltmeter which measures the voltage output of the photocell. A spectrum is projected onto a ruler as shown and at various positions along the ruler the intensity of the light from the spectrum is measured with the photocell.

The voltage output is proportional to the intensity of the light that illuminates it.

By moving the detector across the spectrum the voltage produced by the photocell is recorded at each position along the spectrum, as illustrated above.

Assignment:

Using the data collected in the chart below, plot the intensity (voltage) against the recorded position (on the ruler) to build a spectrogram (chart) of the observed spectrum.

Recorded Data

detector position (mm)
recorded voltage
detector position (mm)
recorded voltage
300
0.0
470
15.0
320
3.0
500
6.0
350
7.0
520
9.0
360
5.0
530
5.0
370
7.0
550
8.0
380
9.5
590
3.0
390
9.0
595
4.0
395
10.5
600
2.0
410
2.0
610
3.5
420
8.0
620
1.0
425
7.0
625
2.5
440
11.5
650
1.0
450
10.0
660
0.5
 
 
665
0.0

 

Prepared by YES I Can! Science Team at McMaster University,
for the Canadian Space Agency.