Infra-red Thermometer
Key Stage 4
Meaning
An infra-red thermometer is a measuring instrument which can detect the Infra-red radiation given off by a surface.
About Infra-red Thermometers
- Infra-red thermometers can be used to read the temperature of the surface of an object without touching it.
- Infra-red thermometers use the black body radiation spectrum of an object to tell its temperature.
- Infra-red thermometers do not directly detect the temperature of an object as different colour surfaces emit different amounts of infra-red radiation.
- The accuracy of an infra-red thermometer for measuring temperature depends on how close the object is to a perfect 'black body'.