Wave-particle Duality Teacher Resources

How can light be both a particle and a wave? With characteristics of each, the idea of light can be confusing. A lesson in the Crash Course physics series introduces scholars to quantum mechanics and how scientists use it to understand...

Why can we see our reflection in a window but not a brick wall? Young physicists learn the Law of Reflection and various light properties that help them answer this and other questions about reflection. Use the PowerPoint to introduce...

What happens to the speed of light as it goes through a glass door? Light travels slower through glass than through air, but does the speed of light change or is it just our perception? The short video explains the speed of light as it...

Students identify the different factors affecting the size and shape of ocean waves. In this math activity, students calculate wave speed and wavelength given a mathematical formula.

Is light a wave or a particle? The video recreates the double slit experiment with sunlight in public. Different individuals predict what they will see by looking into a dark box, which allows sunlight into it through two small slits....

Why was Albert Einstein initially labeled as a "failed" academic, and what events occurred in 1905 that constituted a major turning point for this great scientist? Review Einstein's major theories regarding relativity, light...

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...

Third graders observe and investigate wave properties and compare the properties of particles and waves. They fill a pie pan half full with water, place a toothpick in the center of the pie pan, then drop a marble into the pan and...

Fifth graders examine electromagnetic wave spectrum. In this science lesson, 5th graders discuss the aspects of the electromagnetic wave spectrum and complete a worksheet identifying the parts of the spectrum.

In this types of waves worksheet, students will read 9 types of waves and classify them as either mechanical, electromagnetic, transverse, or compressional waves. Then students will label two wave diagrams with the 8 kinds of waves...

Are you unsure about the uncertainty principle? Using drawings and verbal explanations, this video explains why we cannot know everything about a particle. This is an ideal one-minute addition to your presentation on wave behavior.  

Learners explain historical findings such as Rutherford and Bohr's contributions, explain wave particle duality, and formulate Heinsenberg's uncertainty principle. They also draw s, p, and d orbitals, explain more historical findings,...

You learned in the previous lesson in this series that a particle with momentum has the properties of a wave. So how about a baseball? The lesson calculates the wavelengths of different particles given their momentum (mass and velocity),...

How do we see what we can't see? An episode of a comprehensive physics playlist shows images of the smallest particles current technology can record. The instructor discusses current and past research on the makeup of subatomic particles.

How can oil and a speaker help us understand quantum mechanics? An episode of the Veritasium playlist demonstrates the movement of silicone oil droplets on a speaker. The wave motion of the particles seems to mimic the behavior and...

We typically think of lasers adding heat energy, but lasers can be used for cooling, too! An episode of a physics playlist discusses the science of lasers. Learners watch how to place lasers to effectively slow subatomic particles.

For this science worksheet, students examine the topic in order to solidify knowledge covered in the curriculum using puzzles and creative games.

Students construct "talking cans" and instruments to explain how vibration of objects produces various sounds.

Why don't atoms collapse? Scientists debated this concept for years before they understood the dual nature of the electron. Presentation discusses the electron as both a particle and an energy wave. It also relates these concepts to the...

Finally, an electromagnetic spectrum lab that will get glowing reviews from your class! Explore the nature of light using red and blue LED sources and fantastic phosphorescent paper. Young scientists compare the effects of blue light...

Illuminate your physics class with this examination of a photovoltaic cell. Teach the structure and operation of the device using a diagram. Then make a human-powered, larger-than-life sized model of a PV cell. Learners become electrons...

For this physics worksheet, students examine a single wave pulse which travels down a slinky. Then they sketch a single ring of the slinky as the wave goes by and determine whether the wave is constant or not.

In this light worksheet, students match 12 terms related to light and the electromagnetic spectrum to their definitions, they order waves by their speed, they analyze the energy and wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum and they...

Learners identify and explain these vocabulary words: vibration, volume, pitch, particles, tuning forks, waves and matter. They explain that sound travels through gas, liquid and solid. They be