In this light and the eye activity, learners perform eight tests to show the blind spot in the human eye, to demonstrate Benham's disk, to show how polarized lenses work, to show how light scatters, to demonstrate fiber...

Students examine rainbow components, spectral colors, colors perceived by the eye, hot solids, glowing rarefied gas, absorption, that light is a wave, and optics.

Learners work with a real optical spectrum of a gamma ray burst afterglow taken at the Keck Observatory. They measure the shifts of spectral lines, deduce the velocity of the astronomical object, and then use Hubble's Law to get its...

From the iris and retina to glasses and contact lenses, learners will be excited to see what activities are in store for them as they learn about the complex organ of the human eye.

Bubbles aren't just for children. In the third installment of a seven-part series, teenagers use bubble solution to create bubbles and observe patterns of refraction on the bubble surfaces. Application of this concept to thin films in...

Different colors of the spectrum travel at different speeds through media, causing them to refract at different angles—which allows humans to see their colors. Through a simulation, pupils see how air, water, and other media bend light....

Learn how the professionals at NASA send information across space. Engineers use a microdevice, laser pointer, and mirrors as relays to model data transmission in space. Scholars program a microdevice to detect light received and test...

For this solar sunspot worksheet, students use two photographs from the Hinode solar observatory showing a sunspot on the solar surface. Students solve 5 problems including finding the scale of the images, determining the smallest detail...

The students will be given opportunities to work independently and in teacher-directed situations to study and discover the many facets of light and sound, and the uses of energy in our environment. The grade 4 students will learn the...

In this stereochemistry practice sheet, students answer eight questions about organic molecules. They define terms, the identify optically active compounds given pictures of molecules, they assign stereocenters to drawn diagrams, and...

Students experiment with differently shaped mirrors. In this reflection and optics lesson, students investigate the visual effects of reflected images in mirrors. They use plane, cylindrical, and concave mirrors for the activity.

Get your scholars working at "light speed" with this activity on how different wave frequencies have been discovered and used. The assignment has 20 short-answer questions, set up in a table. Consider re-doing the table or allowing...

Scholars work through three different activities applying their knowledge of total internal reflection (TIR). First, they simply identify which diagrams create TIR and which don't. Next, they match different types of boundary behaviors...

Young scholars examine light waves and see how they travel. They explain that light moves in waves, which can bounce off of or go through materials. They use a flashlight to shine on a variety of objects.

Students analyze optical illusions from the packets, both individually and as a class. They create an original optical illusion design using pattern and repetition. They determine which color needs to be in the pattern.

Young scholars analyze the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

High schoolers classify optical illusions according to their distinguishing characteristics. They create anamorphic art and use Mylar flexible mirrors to view and then they describe and analyze the optical illusion.

Students experiment with the luminosity of the Sun's light. In this luminosity lesson, students participate in an experiment with luminosity of the sun and flashlights. They make filters and fiber optic sources.

Ninth graders investigate and describe ways that human understanding of Earth and space has depended on technological development. They describe and interpret the science of optical and radio telescopes, space probes and remote sensing...

How can a hand puppet's shadow look like a dog? The lesson explains the science behind shadows, combining paint colors and the colors used in old televisions. Scholars use white, red, blue, and green lights to experiment with colors...

Sound, sight, taste, touch, and smell—oh the world of senses! What do these five senses have to do with the brain? The answer: everything. Explore how the brain sends and receives messages by having the class participate in several sense...

Students discover the relationship between lens shape and the formation of images in an experiment. They use three different size converging lenses and a diverging lens to calculate and compare the focal length of each. They graph and...

Students study the history of the invention of the kaleidoscope by Sir David Brewster. They create a kaleidoscope using art supplies.

Students discover optical illusions in this lesson that uses a red shamrock and white construction paper. Emphasis is placed upon inquiry, experiment, and then a short discussion on optical illusions and complimentary colors.