An illuminating activity demonstrates how interference of light waves creates a pattern. Using Plexiglas™ and construction paper, participants see rainbows appear as they twist or press against the plastic plates. After the activity, you...

Uncover the science behind the beautiful phenomena of rainbows with a simple demonstration. Shine light through different-sized containers of water as young scientists learn that rainbows occur when visible light is split up into its...

The nature of waves is revealed through a tank of water and computer animations. Your physics learners will be illuminated by viewing this explanatory video.

Refraction is the bending of light, changing its path. This phenomenon is caused by a change in the speed of the light waves. This video provides visual demonstrations of refraction through various media. It concludes by mentioning how...

It's quite a write up for a simple demonstration! Connect a nylon cord to an electric drill and generate waves. Explain that wavelength can vary according to the amount of energy added. Questions are included that you can use to guide...

The casual voice of the filmmaker explains standing waves using a linked chain bordering a neighborhood parking lot, a bucket of blue-colored water, and a rope tied to a fan blade. He uses the appropriate vocabulary (frequency,...

During a lesson plan on wave motion, physical science participants basically act out the waves as a group. Through their movements, the amplitude, speed, frequency, and wavelength are all identified. Ideas for modeling the reflection and...

A simple, single page assignment asks wave masters to record the wavelength of the x-rays coming from a powder diffractometer and perform calculations with it. Equations, energy level diagrams, and a periodic table are all included....

High school engineers experiment with passing light through mesh and perform calculations using the diffratction equation. This all-encompassing lesson includes the activity sheets for four different diffraction activities and a page of...

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...

An incredibly colorful PowerPoint presents all the facts and definitions about waves that you could need for beginning physical scientists. There are several useful links to online animations of wave action. This may have been produced...

Fascinating aspects of electromagnetic radiation and its use in obtaining and transferring information are described here. Learners will find the connections to current technology interesting. Although the slides are text-heavy, they do...

Rainbow science anyone? learners put the color specturm, frequency, light waves, and wavelengths into a light speed context. They use algebraic formulas to determine the speed of each light wave length. A great way to connect math and...

Advanced lab apprentices prepare zinc and copper solutions to which they will compare the same minerals from a multivitamin. Using absorption spectroscopy, they analyze the contents of the multivitamin for concentration. This lab can be...

Starting with the definitions of wave terms and cycles, the following five slides explain how a wave can be displayed on a graph. After seeing numerous examples with different frequencies and magnitudes, your pupils should be able to...

After displaying three diagrams showing 1, 1 1/2, and 2 wavelengths, the slide show presents more diagrams and expects pupils to determine the number of wavelengths in each. No labels or explanations are provided, so this would be useful...

Physics scholars list the properties of waves and calculate the speed, wavelength, and frequency of waves. The worksheet is concise, but covers a variety of wave computational skills. The formatting is neat, but it does have small...

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...

Physics masters figure out the wavelength of different waves. Looking at a wave graph, they identify different characteristics. Many more problems get them working with both electromagnetic and sound waves. There are a total of 17...

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...

This wave and electromagnetism assignment is so thorough, it could be used as a unit exam. The first section of it covers wave concepts. The next section addresses static electricity. There is a section that deals with electric circuits....

As the title implies, here is a collection of typical photoelectric effect problems that physics learners need to be able to solve. They determine the amount of energy of a photon, the photons produced per second, the frequency required...

Sixty multiple choice questions cover the entire gamut of chemistry concepts. This is the local section of the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad, where your chemistry candidates take a shot at entering the national competition. They...

General chemistry classes practice spectroscopy. They grasp the relationships between wavelength, absorbance, and solution concentration. Additionally, they gain valuable practice using laboratory equipment such as burets and pipettes....