Sunday, October 2, 2011

What are some interesting facts about ultraviolet light?

Sunlamp is a lamp that involves the usage of UV-light, where it shines the ultraviolet radiation onto a person lying on a sunbed. UV-radiation also kills bacteria and viruses, so it is used to sterilize hospital operating rooms and surgical instruments before a surgery begins. Also, in the supermarkets, look closely and you can see low intensity ultra-violet lamps that are placed above grocery meat containers, so that poultry would not rot too easily.


Furthermore, some chemicals fluoresce when ultraviolet light falls on it. These chemicals would absorb the radiation and then emit visible light which makes them glow. You can use this technique in paper chromatography if the dyes are colorless, not visible to the naked eye.


Another interesting fact is that UV-light can be used in banks too. Do you realize when you are making a banking transaction, the bank teller uses a special lamp to read your "invisible" signature in the passbook or use it to check for fake notes. This process actually involves the use of UV-light, as when the notes are scanned by the UV-light, your hidden signature and certain markings on the notes will glow under the UV-light, thus proving its genuineness.


One more thing to note is that washing powders also involve the use of ultra-violet radiation, so your clothes actually "glows" too.

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