TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Light Scavengers
In this activity, students examine various materials and investigate how they interact with light. Students use five new vocabulary words (translucent, transparent, opaque, reflection and refraction) to describe how light interacts with...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Energy of Light
In this introduction to light energy, students learn about reflection and refraction as they learn that light travels in wave form. Through hands-on activities, they see how prisms, magnifying glasses and polarized lenses work. They also...
Center of Science and Industry
Cosi Columbus: Two Lenses in One
Investigate the behavior of a water filled vial, and discover why it acts like a magnifier. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what causes light rays to change direction.
Jewelry Central
Jewelry Central: Diamond
Discusses in detail the grading of diamonds, as well as briefly discussing their structure, physical properties, and historical background. Accompanied by clear illustrations.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Exploring the Science of Light: Classroom Activities
Experiments and activities for investigating the science of light, as well as in-depth explanations of some of the light principles.
Pennsylvania State University
Kettering University: Vibration & Waves
A short tutorial providing general information about waves, their categories, properties and behaviors. Includes several animations and some practice questions with answers.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Wave
An in-depth encyclopedia article from Wikipedia on waves gives a definition for what a wave is. Other content in the article includes a list of examples and characteristics of waves, information about the difference between transverse...
University of Maryland
Optics Highlights: Optics, Electromagnetic Waves, Quanta
Part of an anecdotal history on optics and the study of light. Extremely thorough treatment of the scientific evidence which led scientists to believe in the particle nature of light. Includes a short biographical sketch and discusses...
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Polarization
"How Do We Know Light Behaves as a Wave?" An answer is provided in this discussion of the polarization of light and the use of Polaroid filters in sunglasses. The four methods discussed on this page are: polarization by transmission,...
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Ejs Reflection and Refraction Between Taut Strings Model
In this simulation, two strings with different densities are held tautly as a wave pulses along them. Variables can be changed to alter the relative densities of the strings, as well as the type of wave pulse.
University of Chicago
Telescopes at Yerkes Observatory / Virtual Tour
This site describes the difference between reflective and refractive telescopes and includes a virtual tour of Yerkes Observatory which houses the largest refracting telescope in the world.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Lesson 3: Concave Mirrors
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.
Other
Meade Instruments Corporation: How Telescopes Work
This page explains in fairly simple terms the basics of telescopes. It includes information on the various types of telescopes and the factors people use to select the correct telescope for them. Meade is a leading telescope manufacturer.
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...
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Blue Sky Red Sunset
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).
Ducksters
Ducksters: Physics for Kids: Wave Behavior
Kids learn about the behavior of waves in the science of physics including reflection, refraction, diffraction, polarization, absorption, and interference.
Learn AP Physics
Learn Ap Physics: Physics B: Waves
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,...
Wolfram Research
Wolfram Science World: Fresnel, Augustin
This site from ScienceWorld provides a short biographical sketch of Augustin Fresnel (1788-1827 CE) and describes his most notable scientific discoveries and contributions. Links are provided throughout for additional information.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Introduction to Light
[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...
Other
Lighthouses: Lighting the Lights
A description of the early lights used in lighthouses and how these lights evolved into what they are today. Explains the contributions of Fresnel to the development of these lights; discusses the Fresnel orders.
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.
Synopsys
Synopsys: Optics for Kids: What Is Light?
An explanation of what light is and some of its properties.
University of St. Andrews (UK)
University of St. Andrews: Augustin Fresnel
A short biographical sketch on the life and work of Augustin Fresnel (1788-1827). Comments on a few of his scientific accomplishments.
York University
The Joy of Visual Perception: Physics of Visual Stimulus
From an online "book," this particular page describes physics principles related to vision and sight. Keywords are linked to other pages with further information. The role of sunglasses in blocking glare is discussed and explained. A...