Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Water Sphere Lens
Demonstrate for students how a round bowl of water can act as both a magnifier and a lens.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Fourth Grade Science
This customizable digital textbook covers topics related to fourth-grade science. It is Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Spherical Mirrors Questions
This is a ten-question quiz pertaining to spherical mirrors.
Other
The Disgustoscope
This is a resource to teach optics, while building a modified kaleidoscope that will provide 3-dimensional images.
Other
United States Master Swimming: Fiber Aquatics
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.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: What Is Albedo?
When light strikes an object it can cause reflection or absorption depending on the wavelength of the light and the property of the material that makes up the object. Watch this whiteboard animation for a full explanation and to find out...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Prom Night
[Free Registration/Login Required] Understand the Law of Reflection by plane mirrors and the formation of virtual images. Use the simulation to play with variables for a variety of reflections. Further examples explaining how mirrors...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Construct It!
Students use simple household materials, such as PVC piping and compact mirrors, to construct models of laser-based security systems. The protected object (a "mummified troll" or another treasure of your choosing) is placed "on display"...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Energy
Through nine lessons, students are introduced to a range of energy types--electrical, light, sound and thermal-as well as the renewable energy sources of wind, hydro (water) and solar power. Subjects range from understanding that the...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Bill Nye: Baseball Moon
Bill Nye explains the phases of the moon with an experiment using a baseball, a lamp on a table, a dark room, and a stool or chair that swivels. As the person moves around, the changes in reflected light show the phases of the moon. The...
Florida State University
Florida State University: Molecular Expressions: Basic Concepts in Optical Microscopy
This site explores the microscope in great detail. Content includes a focus on the microscope's basic functions (including a general diagram), the history of the microscope, each feature of the microscope, differing objectives,...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Earth's Albedo and Global Warming
In this interactive activity adapted from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, learn about Earth's albedo (the ratio of reflected vs. incident solar radiation), how pollution alters albedo, and how ice-albedo feedback may accelerate...
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Mirror, Mirror
In this tutorial, Bill Nye uses a mirror to help the learner understand how our brain processes images.
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Pond, James Pond
Try this at-home science experiment to learn how to see through the mirror made by a pond's surface.
Synopsys
Synopsys: A Gentle Intro to Optical Design: Why Is the Sky Blue?
Discusses Rayleigh scattering in plain language and attributes the blueness of the skies to this phenomenon. Discussion of scattering is just one topic of many on this lengthy page of optical topics.
Wolfram Research
Wolfram Science World: Young, Thomas
This site from ScienceWorld provides a very short but factual biographical sketch of Thomas Young (1773-1829 CE) and describes his most notable scientific discoveries and contributions. Links are also provided throughout for additional...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Spherical Reflections
Investigate the behavior of light that is reflected off a spherical mirrored surface.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Touch the Spring
Explore the behavior of light as it reflects off a concave mirror in this optical illusion.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Greenhouse Effect and Surface Radiation
Students will design a controlled experiment to demonstrate the greenhouse effect and the effect of different surfaces on light reflection.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Look Into Infinity
In this activity students will create images of images of images that can repeat forever. Students will recreate this effect by setting up two acrylic plastic mirrors.
Other
Weather Photography
Source of information on the subject of weather photography. There are great links, images and tips on equipment to use. For the intermediate to advanced photographer.
Other
Corning Optical Fibers
Corning serves as a leader in optical fiber technology and this website provides information about the uses of optical fibers in medical imaging, communication, etc., as well as industry news and related resources.
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Fiber Optics
This physics department site provides a discussion and explanation of fiber optics and fiber optic imaging.
Other
Gorp: Using Clouds to Forecast the Weather
This resource provides information on the four main types of clouds that form in the atmosphere. There are high clouds, middle clouds, low clouds and clouds with vertical development.