American Institute of Physics
Optics and Anthony Johnson
Message sending has come a long way since the days of Morse code's dots and dashes. Young scientists study the research of optical physicist Anthony Johnson and his work in fiber optics, lasers, and the principle of total internal...
Curated OER
Fiber Optics
This is a printout of the slides for a presentation on fiber optics. In bullet-style notes, it covers how optic fibers work, their structure, different types, and their use. You may use these as a lecture guide, or if you want to take...
Space Awareness
The Fibre Optic Cable Class
Many people know that fiber optics are used in delivering the Internet, but are surprised to learn they are also used in astronomy. Scholars explore light, reflection, and fiber optics through hands-on activities. They discuss methods of...
Urbana School District
Optics
Don't worry, optics is a light topic! The presentation covers reflection, refraction, fiber optics, mirages, prisms, rainbows, dispersion, mirrors, lenses, telescopes, diffraction, the human eye, and much, much more. Presentation is the...
Curated OER
Fiber Optics
Students explore the uses of optical fibers, are exposed to the principles of refraction and total internal reflection, solve problems relating to the design of fiber optic cables, and compare them to copper transmission lines.
Curated OER
DISCOUNT LENSES ( GELATIN WAVE GUIDES)
Students study attributes associated with concept of fiber optics is done using a labmade fiber optic from clear molded gelatin. A variety of shapes can be cut and pieced together to form a conduit to transmit the laser beam by internal...
Curated OER
Typical Conceptual Questions for Physics I - Light and Quantum
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...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Jell-O® Waveguide and Power Loss
Jell-O® can help model the transmission of light through fiber optic cables. Young scientists use the jiggly dessert to make a waveguide to transmit a laser beam from one point to another. Their models help them learn the function of...
Curated OER
Miscellaneous Light Topics
In this light topics science worksheet, high schoolers read selections about fiber optics, fluorescent light, incandescent light, total internal reflection, polarization, glow-in-the-dark light, and lasers. Students then respond to 32...
American Institute of Physics
The Black Scientific Renaissance of the 1970s-90s: African American Scientists at Bell Laboratories
A two-part lesson asks young scientists to research the contributions of African American scientists at Bell Laboratories. After presenting their findings, class members watch two demonstrations that introduce them to total internal...
Curated OER
Fun Physics You Can See
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...
Code.org
Sending Bits in the Real World
A bit optional. How do computers transmit in the real world? Pupils research a device that is used in transmitting bits, then individuals create a poster that presents the information they have learned about their device.
Curated OER
Light Lab
For this light and the eye worksheet, students 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 optic,...
Curated OER
Geometrical Optics: Reflection and Refraction of Light
Students define and discus the concepts of wave fronts and rays. In groups, they distinguish between specular and diffuse reflections and use Snell's Law to predict the path of light rays. They calculate the speed of light through...
Exploratorium
Blind Spot
A small card with a dot and an X is held at arm's length and used to show youngsters where their blind spot is. This illuminating little activity is a compact addition to your lesson on the structure of the eye as it explains the part of...
Curated OER
Waves Interference
Students identify different wave types and their characteristics. In this wave lesson students complete activities by activating tuning forks and interpreting data.
Curated OER
Labs from Chicago, Summer 1993: Calibrating the Sun's Light
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.
Curated OER
Telecommunication: Sound Waves
Some interesting diagrams here will pique your students' interest as they discover what is actually inside the telephone that they use every day! The frequency and amplitude labels then lead to further details about sound and waves of...
Curated OER
Dream Machines
Students explore the modern applications of robots and create one of the five parts of a robot that could solve a hypothetical public works problem. They study about the use of robots for laying fiber-optics cable in New Mexico by...
Curated OER
Innovation: Light Speed
Get your scholars working at "light speed" with this worksheet 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...
Physics Classroom
Total Internal Reflection
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...
Curated OER
Sight and Light
Students examine the eyeball and its parts. In this sight instructional activity students divide into groups and complete a lab activity that includes creating a model.
Curated OER
Learning to Play the Panpipes
Students experience what a pan pipe is and how sound is produced on it. Research a brief history of the pan pipe. Employ producing a characteristic tone and be able to produce various pitches. Play a simple melody and ensemble on the pan...
Curated OER
Solar Dynamics Observatory: Working with Giga, Tera, Peta and Exabytes
In this solar observatory learning exercise, students read about the solar observation data that NASA will be collecting. Students solve 6 problems related to the collection of data using computers to store the solar data using...