The Ink is Still Wet
Recommended for grades 9–12.
Introduction
SPRINGFIELD, September 10: Science has proven indispensable in solving yet another kidnapping case. This time, a special kind of fingerprint—a chemical fingerprint—proved to be the crucial clue in recovering the victim, 22-year-old Shawn Morgan, unharmed.
It was only in the last month that Morgan sold his design for the TrueMind artificial intelligence system to the United States government for $100 million. As fate would have it, a day later, Morgan vanished. When investigators forcibly entered Mr. Morgan’s apartment, they found it empty except for a ransom note written on a piece of computer paper. The note was written in black ink, and the handwriting varied in style, so police handwriting experts were at a loss to come up with a profile.
Objectives
- Identify an unknown ink by its light absorbance characteristics.
- Measure a solution's absorbance of different colors (wavelengths) of light.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for computer-based data collection
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the computer edition does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.