Leaf Absorption Spectra with the Wireless Spectrometer
Fall is the perfect time of year for you and your students to investigate plant pigments. If the curriculum sequence doesn’t fit, you can always squirrel away some data for later! PASCO’s Wireless Spectrometer (and its free Spectrometry software) makes it quick and painless to do data collection and get full spectrum scans. No more warm-up time, tedious wavelength adjustments, or students waiting in line!
Analyzing the absorption spectra is a popular lab activity that uses simple materials and can easily be extended into a student inquiry. PASCO’s biology team developed this new experiment to complement existing manuals. It is available free to download.
Sample data showing the absorption spectra from several tree species (Tree of Heaven, Big Leaf Maple, and Black Oak leaves).
