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Activity
Exploratorium

Inverse Square Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The inverse square law is revealed when your class participates in this activity. They move a graph paper or perfboard square back and forth in a square of light to see how the intensity changes. You will definitely want to add this...
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Activity
Exploratorium

Diffraction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Kindle knowledge of how light travels by using this activity in your physical science curriculum. By setting up a candle flame or flashlight bulb and viewing it through a slit, observers of light see evidence of its wave characteristic....
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Lesson Plan
Exploratorium

Blue Sky

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Use a container full of water as a prism and show that as light is bent, the individual colors from different wavelengths become visible. This explains why the sky appears to be blue midday, and why as the sun nears the horizon, it looks...
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Activity
Exploratorium

Afterimage

For Teachers 4th - 8th
To illuminate how afterimage occurs, create a star, square, or other geometric-shaped light for learners to look at for 30 seconds. Then, have them explain what they see as they shift their focus to a blank wall. A full explanation of...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Typical Numeric Questions for Physics I - Light and Optics

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Nineteen word problems dealing with frequency, speed, reflection, and refraction of light are provided here. Empower your physics masters to manipulate equations for computing angles, focal lengths, image heights, and more! This is a...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Typical Conceptual Questions for Physics I - Light and Quantum

For Students 9th - 12th
This is a stellar overview of everything light and quantum! There are 30 multiple choice questions, none of them requiring any mathematical computation. There are a few diagrams to analyze: light rays striking reflective and refractive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Night and Day: A Digital Art Lesson based on Monet's Rouen Cathedral Series

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Think about your favorite place ... now, think about what it looks like at different times during the day. How does the change in lighting affect the colors you see? Young artists explore the tools available in digital art software to...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Designing a Spectroscopy Mission

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In this mind-bending activity, young engineers explore this question of whether or not light actually bends. Using holographic diffraction gratings, groups design and build a spectrograph. The groups then move on research a problem...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Light vs. Heat Bulbs

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Careful, that light bulb is hot! Compare heat and light energy using a simple light bulb. The exercise addresses energy conservation and presents actual calculations to determine the most cost-effective light bulb.
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Light Up Your Life

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
How do lighting types affect energy efficiency? Explore different types of lighting and the energy they use. Pupils learn about types of lights and calculate the energy used during a typical school year. They discover that being...
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Unit Plan
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PBS

Blow the Roof Off!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...
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Unit Plan
Rain Bird Corporation

Rain Forest Teaching Curriculum

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Take young naturalists on an exploration of the world's tropical rainforests with this extensive collection of lessons and activities. Whether its creating leaf and flower prints or investigating the absorption spectrum of...
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Activity
Exploratorium

Give and Take

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Heat-sensitive liquid crystal sheets are available in a variety of sizes and temperature ranges. Purchase a class set of hand-held sheets and color half of each with a silver permanent marking pen. Learners of light can hold them under a...
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Activity
Exploratorium

Corner Reflector

For Teachers 5th - 7th
If you set up a triad of mirrors into a corner figuration, they act as a kaleidoscope, bouncing light waves back and forth indefinitely, changing the light that your eyes perceive. Although the materials required are very specific and...
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Assessment
Curated OER

Physics 152 Fall 2004 Final Exam, Parts A, B, C, D

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
At the end of a general physics course focused on light and electricity, you can administer this exam. Concepts covered include electromagnetism, circuits, induction, light rays, lenses and mirrors, characteristics of light, electron...
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Assessment
Curated OER

Physics 152 ~ Fall 2003 Midterm Exam #3, Parts A, B

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Illuminated physics stars show what they know about light by taking this exam. They match several related vocabulary terms to descriptions and answer multiple choice questions about the characteristics of light, magnification, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Communication Delay

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Construct a maze in your classroom and have a blindfolded scientist act as a space rover, maneuvering unfamiliar terrain while another scientist plays commander. Classmates record the number of occurrences of the commander having to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Light and Elements

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Here is a full-fledged investigation of light waves, the electromagnetic spectrum, and element spectra. Physicists research a scientist that contributed to our understanding of the behavior of light. They take notes on your lecture, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadows & Light, Science & Puppetry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 6th - 9th
For this Earth Science worksheet, students read about the Greenhouse Effect and the difference between natural and amplified warming. Following, they answer ten short answer questions related to what they read about global climate issues.
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Activity
Exploratorium

Antigravity Mirror

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's super student! Physical science stars can fly during a unit on light as they see the reflection of one leg in a mirror, behind which the other holds them up. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fluorescence

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Here are some instructions for leading learners through a hands-on activity for investigating ultraviolet radiation. First, introduce them to light and refraction. Then introduce them to the electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, give...
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PPT
Curated OER

What Wavelength Was That?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A combination of informative text, photos, and graphics comprise this sharp show on electromagnetic radiation. Some slides mention hands-on activities for demonstrating concepts, so if you want to include them you will need to figure out...
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Assessment
Curated OER

Physics Final Exam

For Students 10th - 12th
A two-hour final exam covers a range of physics topics related to electricity and magnetism. It employs a variety of methodologies for assessing your physics learners' understanding and mastery of these concepts. You will need to review...