Scholastic
Scholastic: Study Jams! Science: Light Absorption, Reflection, & Refraction
A video and a short quiz on the properties of light.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Light & Sound, Light Reflection Relay
For this exploration, students will investigate how light reflects off smooth surfaces, learn about angles of reflection, and apply that knowledge in a relay experiment.
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Behavior of Incident Light
This site from Georgia State University is an indexing page for several other pages on the topic of reflection. Topics are treated in an understandable manner and utilize meaningful graphics.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Reflection Race: Exploring Reflection of Light
An interesting and engaging activity where students work in groups with a laser pointer and small mirrors. They must use their knowledge of angles of reflection to bounce the laser beam from mirror to mirror until it hits a target at the...
![Reflection Experiments [Pdf] Activity](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Reflection Experiments [Pdf] Activity")
My Science Site
Reflection Experiments [Pdf]
Looking for some hands-on activities to use with your students to teach reflection? This resource offers a couple of experiments on the angle of reflection and light absorption. This resource is in PDF form; requires Adobe Reader.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and Ray Model of Light: The Critical Angle
Illustrated examples and interactive practice problems that introduce students to the concept of the critical angle, the angle of incidence that provides an angle of refraction of 90-degrees.
Teachers TryScience
Teachers Try Science: Where There's Light, There's Hot Food!!!
This unit helps students learn to apply the concept of solar energy conservation. They are introduced to angles and their effect on the amount of light reflected, and they will also design, construct, manipulate, critique, evaluate and...
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Crossed Polarizers
At this univeristy physics department site, the polarization of light is explained and illustrated. Methods for analyzing light to determine the degree of polarization are stated and explained with equations.
University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota: How Does Light Travel?
Contains a four step procedure to deriving the law of reflection using algebra, Fermat's principle, and calculus (simple derivatives). This is good for an in-class theoretical exercise.
BBC
Bbc: Gcse Bitesize: Why Do Scientists Think That Light and Sound Are Waves?
Light travels as transverse waves and can travel through a vacuum. Sound travels as longitudinal waves and needs to travel through a solid, liquid or gas. Read about the properties of light and of sound, and learn the differences between...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Plix: Law of Reflection: Angle of Incidence
[Free Registration/Login Required] In the scenario shown here, the laser cannot shine through the black barrier but can hit all three targets by reflecting off of the floor. Use the red dot to change the angle of the laser generator and...
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and Ray Model of Light: Boundary Behavior
In this illustrated physics tutorial, students investigate the connection between light reflection and light refraction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Reflection and Ray Model of Light: Right Angle Mirrors
Discover how light reacts when it strikes mirrors which are placed at right angles to each other.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Light
For this activity, students actually find the angles of reflection and incidence.
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Methods of Polarization
At this college physics department site, the polarization of light is explained and illustrated as well as the primary methods of polarization (scattering, reflection, and refraction).
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: When Silicon Talks
In this activity, students tackle this aspect of engineering as they solve problems for precise angles and speeds, and predict data output when samples are altered.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Finding the Shortest Path
Students discover the shortest distance light travels from an object to the human eye, as the light from the object reflects off a single mirror. In the process they learn about reflection in a line, congruent angles, angle bisectors,...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Physical Science: Refraction
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Refraction of light in matter and how light changes its speed and angle of refraction according to the type of medium it is travelling through.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirrors and Images
An experiment to investigate how many images appear as the angle between two hinged mirrors is increased. Accompanied by an explanation of what is happening, questions for students to consider, and a link to an article about reflection.
Boston University
Bu: Optics: Geometric Optics
Several short descriptions of demonstrations which illustrate principles of geometric optics (many of which focus upon refraction).