Using a Remote Control to Determine the Infrared Absorption Coefficient in Water

[EN] In this work, we present a simple and low-cost experiment designed to determine the infrared water absorption coefficient. We used a TV remote control as a point source of infrared light. The intensity after passing the light through different heights of a water column is measured with a solar cell connected to a speaker. The recorded signal, captured with a smartphone sound recorder, provides a practical demonstration of the Beer¿Lambert law. The collected data were fitted to the theoretical model, obtaining a very good agreement between the value of the water absorption coefficient obtained experimentally and that reported in the literature.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Physics Teacher
Published
2025-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0223941
Primary Topic
Optical and Acousto-Optic Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Using a Remote Control to Determine the Infrared Absorption Coefficient in Water

Juan Carlos Castro-Palacio, Francisco M. Muñoz‐Pérez, Adrián Garmendía-Martínez, Juan A. Monsoriu et al.
The Physics Teacher
Optical and Acousto-Optic Technologies
article

Using a Remote Control to Determine the Infrared Absorption Coefficient in Water

Juan Carlos Castro-Palacio, Francisco M. Muñoz‐Pérez, Adrián Garmendía-Martínez, Juan A. Monsoriu, Santiago Ortuño-Molina
article en

Abstract

[EN] In this work, we present a simple and low-cost experiment designed to determine the infrared water absorption coefficient. We used a TV remote control as a point source of infrared light. The intensity after passing the light through different heights of a water column is measured with a solar cell connected to a speaker. The recorded signal, captured with a smartphone sound recorder, provides a practical demonstration of the Beer¿Lambert law. The collected data were fitted to the theoretical model, obtaining a very good agreement between the value of the water absorption coefficient obtained experimentally and that reported in the literature.

The Physics TeacherVol. 63(9)
Universitat Politècnica de València (ES)
Openalex Percentile: Top 71%
Optical and Acousto-Optic Technologies
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