Education Technology


Forensics with TI-Nspire™ - Case File: The Ink is Still Wet

Activity Overview

In this activity, students will use colorimetry to identify inks as unique mixtures of pigments.

Objectives

  • Identify an unknown ink by its light absorbance characteristics.
  • Measure a solution’s absorbance of different colors (wavelengths) of light.

About the Lesson

  • In this data-gathering activity, you will identify an unknown ink by its light absorbance characteristics, measure a solution’s absorbance of different colors (wavelengths) of light, and then use that information to identify the kidnapper.
  • Solutions used during this lab require teacher preparation prior to class.
  • Students will collect data using the Vernier EasyLink™ or TI-Nspire Lab Cradle with the Vernier Colorimeter.
  • The student activity sheet and .tns file contain the complete instructions for data collection. All assessment questions are also included in both places giving you the flexibility to either collect the .tns files with student data/answers (using TI-Nspire Navigator) or the student activity sheet.