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.

This interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab provides an overview of the characteristics and properties of various types of waves, including light waves, sound waves, and water waves.

The Sound and Light unit provides students with an understanding of sound and light waves through the theme of the "Sunken Treasure," a continuous story line throughout the lessons. In Lessons 1-5, students learn about sound, and in...

Learn about mechanical waves, which transfers energy from one place to another through liquids, gases and solids, with this interactive lesson.

How can scientists lump heat, light and sound together when investigating properties and behaviors? This learning module will address that question through a series of activities.

Discusses the nature of an electromagnetic wave. Explains the oscillating electric field and represents it through clever graphics and animations.

Using an interesting and intriguing format, this page discusses the question of "How does one measure the speed of light." Explanation focuses on Galileo's and Roemer's efforts to obtain a reasonable value. Also discusses Heinrich...

Light travels as waves. Waves can be described by their amplitude, wavelength and frequency. The speed of a wave can be calculated from its frequency and wavelength.

Through informational text, interactive activities, practice problems, and virtual simulations, students explore the properties of electromagnetic waves.

Download this Educators Guide to light, color, and their uses. Choose from different activities using lenses, prisms, hidden messages, periscopes, and kaleidoscopes

Download this Educators Guide to light, color, and their uses. Choose from different activities using lenses, prisms, hidden messages, periscopes, and kaleidoscopes

A few short, interactive activities on light waves can be found on this site. Numerous others links and teacher resources are posted here as well. A good background on light is offered for teachers.

Conduct virtual experiments with water, sound, and light waves to determine the sine wave and patterns created in each.

In order to understand refraction, students will explore the factors that affect the speed at which a light wave is transported through a medium.

[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about light waves and how they travel. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

Students will investigate the properties of light waves. They will learn about the different types of electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves, and investigate the phenomena of reflection, refraction, interference, and diffraction.

Make waves with a dripping faucet, audio speaker, or laser. Add a second source or a pair of slits to create an interference pattern.

Physiclips thoroughly presents mechanics concepts about light with animations and film clips. Learn about light and color, wavelengths, speed of light, electromagnetic waves, Young's experiment, and photons.

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...

This article discusses the historical figures who contributed to our understanding of the nature of light, x-rays, Quantum ElectroDynamic (QED) theory, and so on.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] The speed of electromagnetic waves, their wavelengths and frequencies and how to calculate wavelength or wave frequency.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] The wave-particle theory and what a photon is, and evidence that electromagnetic radiation is both a particle and a wave.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] What wave interference is, constructive and destructive interference and how standing waves occur.

In this series of interactive physics tutorials, students will focus on the wavelike nature of light.