I2-03: CROOKE'S RADIOMETER - ROTATION REVERSAL

ID Code: I2-03
Purpose: Counterintuitive demonstration of Crookes' radiometer designed to make students understand radiation better.
Description: Heat the Crookes' radiometer with the heater for until it spins very rapidly. When the heater is removed the spinning first ceases then reverses. When the heater is removed, the black side cools faster than the white side. When the temperature of the black side becomes sufficiently below that of the white side the roles are reversed from normal in heating adjacent air, causing more momentum transfer to the white side and rotation in the direction of the black side.
Availability: Available