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General Physics Science Fair Project

Light Sources and Phosphorescent Glow

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Light Sources and Phosphorescent Glow | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does the type of light that charges a glow-in-the-dark sticker change how long it glows? Place three identical stickers in a dark room and expose them one at a time to four different lamps: ultraviolet, fluorescent, incandescent, and infrared. Keep the distance, exposure time, and lamp power the same for each trial. After one minute of charging, turn the lamp off and time how long the glow lasts. The stickers charged by ultraviolet light keep glowing far longer than the rest, while infrared-charged stickers fade the fastest.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the lamp that produces more ultraviolet light will make the glow last longer.

Science Concepts Learned

Electromagnetic Spectrum

The full range of energy includes ultraviolet and infrared light, which sit at different positions in the spectrum. You charge identical glow-in-the-dark stickers with four different lamps and time how long each glow lasts. The stickers charged by ultraviolet light keep glowing far longer than the rest, while infrared-charged stickers fade the fastest.

Method & Materials

You will use lamps of different wavelengths of light and measure the time it takes for the glow-in-the-dark stickers to stop glowing.
You will need 3 glow-in-the-dark stickers, 1 infrared lamp, 1 incandescent lamp, 1 fluorescent lamp, 1 ultraviolet lamp, 1 stopwatch, and 1 meter-long ruler.

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Results

The results showed that the glow-in-the-dark stickers continued glowing the brightest after absorbing light from the ultraviolet lamp, and stopped glowing the fastest after the infrared lamp.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it explores the science behind phosphorescence and how different types of lamps affect the length of time the glow lasts.

Also Consider

Consider using a luxmeter to measure the brightness of the stickers, or using different types of phosphorescent material, such as glow-in-the-dark toys or plastic stars.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related videos

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Learn about the chemical compounds make stickers and toys glow-in-the-dark!
Not only do we have glow-in-the-dark stickers and glow sticks, but this video shows us glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, stones and sea sparkles on the beach! It was magical when I saw the green glowing sand from red tides. Have you observed any naturally occurring objects that glow in the dark?
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