Experiment :     To examine the transfer of heat by radiation.

Apparatus:       A wooden box covered with fire-resistant board, six thermometers fastened to the board at 10 cm spacing, an electric fire.

Fig 1

Method :          The box was set close to the fire at an angle of about 45 º (See fig 1) so that, as far as possible, each of the thermometers had a clear line of sight of the fire. The fire was switched on and given 15 minutes for the temperatures to stabilise. The temperatures were read and noted. A graph was produced of the results.

Conclusion :           The thermometer (T1) closest to the fire had the highest temperature. As we move further from the fire the temperatures decrease with distance. Fig 2 shows the temperature distribution. The temperature, T3, seems out of line with the others, possibly because the decorative grill at the front of the fire interfered with the line of sight from the fire to that position.