Visualizing infrared phenomena with a webcam

The concept of light (electromagnetic radiation) outside of the visible spectrum is an abstract concept for students in an introductory science class. When students are presented with demonstrations or experiments meant to explore this portion of the spectrum, the equipment involved often hides the phenomena. A simple modification to a standard, inexpensive web camera (webcam) can take advantage of the sensitivity of the charged-coupled-device (CCD) to the infrared (IR) portion of the spectrum, allowing students to visualize many IR phenomena. This note reports how such a modified webcam can be used in lecture demonstrations and laboratory activities to study infrared phenomena including an IR light emitting diode (LED), the IR component of different light sources, IR spectroscopy, and blackbody radiation. As a final example, the modified camera can be employed to view the charcoal under-drawing of a 'painting' created for this paper and used in our classroom demonstrations. [DOI: 10.1119/1.1900105]