Other
Tooter4kids: Light and Color
You'll find a wealth of resources at this site dedicated to color! Easy-to-read discussions can be found on topics ranging from the science of light to complementary colors and the color wheel. All special terms are highlighted and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Waves: The Three Color Mystery
Students are presented with a challenge question concerning color blindness and asked to use engineering principles to design devices to help people who are color blind. Using the legacy cycle as a model, this unit is comprised of five...
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Light Waves and Color
The behavior of light waves is introduced and discussed. Also, polarization, color, diffraction, and interference are introduced and discussed thoroughly as supporting evidence of the wave nature of light.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Three Color Mystery
Students are introduced to an engineering challenge in which they are given a job assignment to separate three types of apples. However, they are unable to see the color differences between the apples, and as a result, they must think as...
York University
York University: Color and Color Vision
York University provides an index page to several other pages on the topic of color and color vision. The pages are part of an online "book." Many graphics and explanations.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Learning Light's Properties
Students learn the basic properties of light--the concepts of light absorption, transmission, reflection and refraction, as well as the behavior of light during interference. Lecture information briefly addresses the electromagnetic...
Other
Sky Server: Color
SkyServer answers why stars have different colors and shows what you can learn by studying the colors of stars, galaxies, and other objects.
Space Telescope Science Institute
Amazing Space: Star Light, Star Bright
An online exploration where students learn the basics about light and the properties of waves and the electromagnetic spectrum. Students will also learn how to measure wavelength and frequency so they can understand the electromagnetic...
University of Colorado
University of Colorado: Physics 2000: Temperature and Absolute Zero
A thorough, multipage discussion of color and color television sets that explains how an image is formed on the television using red, green, and blue light. Understandable discussion, excellent graphics, and many interactive Java applets.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Chemistry Simulation: Neon Lights
[Free Registration/Login Required] Neon lights are a type of discharge tube. Observe how electrons create colored light in a hydrogen gas discharge tube. Can you figure out why hydrogen's emission spectrum contains more than one color of...
Physics Central
Physics Central: Physics in the Snow: Snowy Colors
A simple experiment through which students observe the connection between color and heat and prove that dark-colored objects and light-colored objects heat at different rates, even when exposed to the same heat or light source.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: How to Build a Spectroscope
Instructions for how to construct a spectroscope from basic materials, which can be used to study colors produced by light from different sources. Adult supervision may be required for the use of the utility knife. Includes an...
Curated OER
Georgia State University: Color
This site from Georgia State University discusses the location of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes the wavelength values for various colors of light within the visible light spectrum.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Waves Go Public!
Students apply everything they have learned over the course of the associated lessons about waves, light properties, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the structure of the eye, by designing devices that can aid color blind people in...
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Scattering Concepts
A collection of several pages explaining the principles which underlie Rayleigh scattering of light.
Curated OER
Georgia State University: Color
This site from Georgia State University discusses the location of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes the wavelength values for various colors of light within the visible light spectrum.
Center of Science and Industry
Cosi Columbus: Coffee Filter Rainbows
Science experiment that demonstrates chromotography. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what happens with different colors when they are soaked with water.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Understanding Spectra
This is an 8-problem quiz/practice to increase students' understanding of spectra. Color is a property of light. Test your understanding of this concept and how light can be represented in with a spectral power distribution.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Why Is the Sky Blue?
Students will learn about refraction and the scattering of sunlight as it enters the atmosphere, which causes the colors in light to separate, giving us blue skies and colorful sunrises and sunsets.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Release the Rainbow
A simple activity to demonstrate how light separates into colors when it passes through water acting as a prism.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: What Causes Rainbows?
An experiment to demonstrate how to make a rainbow and why they form.
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: About Rainbows
This site from the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research provides an illustrated article about the phenomenon of rainbows.