Interactive
University of Colorado

University of Colorado: Ph Et Interactive Simulations: Bending Light

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore bending of light between two media with different indices of refraction. See how changing from air to water to glass changes the bending angle. Play with prisms of different shapes and make rainbows.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: When Silicon Talks

For Teachers 10th - 12th
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.
Activity
Optical Society

Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Blue Sky Red Sunset

For Students 1st - 5th
An experiment where light is shone through a bottle of water, and then milk added, to see how this affects the path the light takes (with links to articles on reflection and refraction that explain what is happening).
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Introduction to Light

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart introduces fifth graders to the science of light. Principles such as transparent, translucent, opaque, reflection, and refraction are covered. Concave and convex mirrors and lenses are...
Article
Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies

Mocomi: What Is Scattering of Light?

For Students 2nd - 8th
Do you know why the sky is blue? Article defines scattering and how it works. Explains the difference between the scattering of light and reflection or refraction.
Activity
Optical Society

Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Total Internal Reflection

For Students 9th - 10th
An investigation into the total internal reflection of light, using a laser pointer. Accompanied by an explanation of what's happening, a discussion of Snell's Law, and links to additional information.
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Light Rays

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a quiz covering reflected, refracted, shadow, and camera rays.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Disappearing Glass Rods

For Students 9th - 10th
In this activity, you will make a glass object disappear by eliminating the reflection from and the refraction by the glass object.
Handout
Cosmos 4 kids

Cosmos4 Kids: Exploration:telescopes

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn how telescopes work .. terms like reflection, refraction, different kinds of lens, and more. The brief, to the point text makes this site most suitable for younger researchers.
Lesson Plan
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

Iris: Determining Shallow Earth Structure

For Students 9th - 10th
Extend students' learning of fundamental physics concepts (reflection, refraction and transmission of energy) through a real-world application.
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: An Experiment With Light Rays and a Prism

For Students 9th - 10th
This passage will test your knowledge on reflection and Refraction - Passage 2.
Handout
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Behavior of Incident Light

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Handout
Other

Byju's: Physics: Reflection of Waves

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what happens to a wave when it hits a fixed end or a free end.
Handout
University of Chicago

University of Chicago: Reflector and Refractor

For Students 9th - 10th
From the Yerkes Observatory Virtual Tour web site. Compares and contrasts reflecting and refracting telescopes. A link from the page leads to a second page which explains why most modern research telescopes are reflecting telescopes.
Handout
Optical Society

Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Guiding Light Optical Fiber

For Students 3rd - 8th
This experiment demonstrates the concept of total internal reflection, using basic materials. Accompanied by a detailed explanation of what's happening, and links to articles on reflection and refraction.
Handout
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Lesson 3: Concave Mirrors

For Students 9th - 10th
Lesson 3 of this tutorial on refraction is on concave mirrors. Content that is covered includes the anatomy of curved mirrors, reflection of light and image formation, ray diagrams, image characteristics for concave mirrors, plus more.
Handout
Other

Transverse and Longitudinal Wave Propagation in an Elastic Medium

For Students 9th - 10th
Extensive information about how waves behave in an elastic medium. Covers different types of waves, their characteristics and behavior, the anatomy of the ear, the speed of sound in different media, the parts of a wave, and wave phenomena.
Handout
Boston University

Bu: Optics: Geometric Optics

For Students 9th - 10th
Several short descriptions of demonstrations which illustrate principles of geometric optics (many of which focus upon refraction).
Activity
My Science Site

My Science Site: The Light for Sight [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This resource offers a hands-on activity for science teachers to teach about the eye and it's ability to see images. Also discusses refraction and reflection. This resource is in PDF form; requires Adobe Reader.
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Physics for Kids: Wave Behavior

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about the behavior of waves in the science of physics including reflection, refraction, diffraction, polarization, absorption, and interference.
Unit Plan
Learn AP Physics

Learn Ap Physics: Physics B: Waves

For Students 9th - 10th
A site dedicated to help students prepare for the AP Physics B test. This specific site reviews waves including traveling waves, standing waves, resonance, speed of electromagnetic waves, Doppler shift, Doppler effect, interference,...
Article
Other

United States Master Swimming: Fiber Aquatics

For Students 9th - 10th
The principle of total internal reflection is discussed in this article. The appearance of objects from inside the water of a swimming pool is compared to the path of light in a fiber optic cable.
Website
Space Telescope Science Institute

Amazing Space: Telescopes From the Ground Up

For Students 9th - 10th
Students can investigate the historical development of six different telescopes. The technical aspects of different telescopes are also presented.
Handout
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Crossed Polarizers

For Students 9th - 10th
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.

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