Download Bright Lights Manual cov - March 2011

Bright LIGHTS,
Big Science
A Facilitator's Guide to Light
Our Vision
Canadians recognize that
1
Science is intrinsic to their lives
and acknowledge the
fundamental importance of a
quality Science education to
prepare young people for our
rapidly changing world.
Our Mission
Let’s Talk Science is striving to
improve Science literacy through
innovative educational
programs, research and
advocacy. We exist to motivate
and empower young Canadians
through Science education.
1
Our Science includes life and physical
sciences, technology, engineering and
mathematics.
Let’s Talk Science
National Office
1584 North Routledge Park
London, Ontario, Canada
N6H 5L6
Tel: 519-474-4081
Fax: 519-474-4085
Email: [email protected]
www.letstalkscience.ca
Charitable Number:
BN88540 0846 RR0001
www.letstalkscience.ca
Developed by Laura Brown, Shauna McAdam,
Kim Mustard-Fenton and Maria Varju
For
©2003 Let's Talk Science
National Cornerstone Supporters:
National Founding
*Registered trademark of Imperial Oil Limited.
Used under License.
To make a tax-deductible donation to improve
Science literacy in Canada, please call
Toll Free: 1-866-352-3060 or 519-474-4084
or visit our web site:
www.letstalkscience.ca
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from LET'S TALK SCIENCE.
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©2003 Let’s Talk Science
A. Description of Workshop
Overview of Workshop
Grade for Workshop/
Appropriate Age
This activity is designed
for use in Grade 3-4
classrooms or with
children ages 6-10.
Where does light come from? How
does it travel between a source and
our eyes? Learn about light and
how it is transmitted, reflected
and refracted by materials in our
environment. Use this knowledge
to make a take home kaleidoscope.
Overall Objectives





Science Topics
Sources of light
Transparent/
translucent/
opaque
Shadows
Reflection
Refraction
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 To identify natural and
artificial sources of light
 To look at ways we use
light
 To look at the
classification of materials
as transparent, translucent
or opaque
 To identify that opaque
objects cast shadows.
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
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B. How to Run This Workshop
Physical Requirements
Desks should be arranged into 6 groups. This workshop requires the use of
an overhead projector.
Materials and Set-Up
Students will travel to 3 activity stations in the classroom. There will be
6 stations in total - 2 of each activity. Students will work in groups of
4 or 5 at the stations and rotate for activities 1, 2 and 3. Activity 4
will be done together. Every student will make a take-home kaleidoscope
of their own.
Note: For more detail, see Kit List. Each activity gives the list of
supplies for only 1 station.
Introduction
Pictures of artificial
and natural light
sources
Term cards:
translucent, opaque,
transparent,
reflection and
refraction.
Station tent cards
Activity #1
Absorption
Acetate
Screen
Tissue paper
Cardboard
Non glare
Plexiglass
Aluminum Foil
Plastic bag
White paper
8 - 4”x6”
frames made
from cardboard
or plastic
cardboard
5-6 laminated
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Activity #2
Mirror Maze
5 – Locker
Mirrors
Activity #3
Refraction
1 Flashlight (small
enough to fit in
paper towel tube)
Activity #4
Kaleidoscope
*Cardstock
5 Plastic
Concave lens
cardboard
walls (1 big, 4
small)
*Acetate pieces
30 large
30 small
10 Large sized Hair pick/comb
**30 Permanent
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
©2003 Let’s Talk Science
LTS logos
2 Flashlights
markers
3 Petri dishes
*Straight pins with
round heads,
30/class
Fish picture on
Plasticine to
Picture of light Glass or baby food *Reflective mylar
acetate
support shadow bulb
jar or clear plastic pieces 30/class
(or, acetate, coloured objects
jar
acetate, frosted and (optional)
opaque material)
*Water
4 Shadow
Pictures of
Plasticine (1 block) *Tape, 12 rolls
pictures,
periscopes and
laminated
submarines
*Food colouring
Shadow objects: 2 Medium
*Food colouring
*Glue stick, 12 tubes
dull scissors,
sized
combs, fold clip, flashlights
plastic spiders,
tape dispensers
*Cornstarch
Plasticine for *Water
*Rubbing
flashlight
alcohol(optional)
stand
(optional)
*Plastic spoon
White placemat
Plastic cardboard
22” x 14”
Hot Wheels™ cars (2)
Locker mirror
Bouncy ball
clips
Mat with pre- Paper towel or
printed maze toilet paper tube
3 Magnifying
glasses
Little pictures
Cheap lenses
mini-binoculars,
mini-microscope
(optional)
2 Refraction
viewers
*Scrap paper
(optional)
*Consumable items
**Eventually needs replacing
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
©2003 Let’s Talk Science
Timing of Activity
Part of Workshop:
General Introduction
Introduction to Topic
and Explanation of
Activities
Activity #1a, 1b
Activity #2a, 2b
Activity #3a, 3b
Activity #4-Take home
Wrap-Up
Suggested Timing:
5 min.
20 min.
Cumulative Timing:
5 min.
25 min.
15 min.
15 min.
15 min.
20 min
10 min.
40 min.
55 min.
70 min.
90 min
100 min.
C. Introduction to Topic
Objectives of Introduction
 To introduce light as a form of energy and that it is produced by
or comes from a natural or artificial source.
Suggested Discussion, Q & A
Today, we are going to be talking about light.
All light comes from or is produced by a source.
Can you name some sources of light?
(As the students brainstorm, put up the pictures of the sources or write the
words on the board).
(Then, separate the pictures or words into the categories of Natural
Sources or Artificial Sources).
Natural Sources
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
©2003 Let’s Talk Science
Sun, stars, lightning, fire/burning objects, bioluminescence occurring in
fireflies (or glowworms), sea creatures (protozoa, comb jellyfish, sea
pen, parchment tube worm, deep-sea squid, lantern fish, angler fish,
bacteria), orange milkcap mushroom, etc.
* The moon may be mentioned here, but the moon shines because the sun’s
light is bouncing or reflecting off its surface. Actually, people, plants and
houses all reflect light.
Artificial Sources
Lamp, glow-stick, candle, campfire, oil lamps, gas lamps, bulbs,
fluorescent tubes, neon lights, Indiglo™ watches, toys, lasers, etc.
What is the difference between a natural and an artificial source of light?
Natural is something that occurs in nature.
Very hot objects can produce light. That is how light is produced by the sun
and why we see a nice yellow glow from burning wood. The main source of
natural light on Earth is the sun.
Artificial is people-produced (or man-made).
The first artificial source of light in pre-historic times was the campfire, as
it was made by people to give light and heat. Electricity is now our main
source of artificial light.
CHOICE: Skip over this part if it does not relate to your
curriculum or give a few examples before asking the question.
We use light for many different things.
Can you think of some of the important jobs that light has?
Warn us of danger (i.e. fire truck, police cars, ambulance lights), alert
us (i.e. crosswalk lights, exit lights, airport runway lights), safety (i.e.
traffic lights, stove lights), allows us to see in the dark (i.e.
flashlights, street lights, lights at the bottom of swimming pools,
camera flash), information (advertising), beauty or entertainment (laser
light shows), etc.
Do you know what light is?
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Light is a type of energy that spreads out from a source in all
directions, like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Light travels at a very
high speed and light travels in straight lines.
Everything we look at is seen because of light bouncing off objects and then
into our eyes.
We are now going to learn what happens to light as it travels from a source
on its way to our eye.
BRIGHT IDEA: Some interesting facts about light can be interjected
into the program at appropriate places such as:
light from the sun, 150 million kilometers away, reaches us in only
8.3 minutes
light reflected from the moon takes about 1.3 seconds to reach us
light travels about one million times faster than sound travels in air
light could travel around the planet Earth 7.5 times in one second
the speed of light is about one billion kilometers per hour
D. Activities
ACTIVITY #1a:TRANSMISSION OF LIGHT (10 min.)
Oral instructions – pictorial instructions on worksheet
Objective of Activity
To understand the classification of materials as transparent, translucent
or opaque.
Suggested Instructions, Q & A
Transmission of Light Demo
CHOICE 1: If you have access to an overhead projector use the
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following Q&A, if not use a In-class
coloured
fish,Bright
acetates
opaque
workshops,
LIGHTS,and
Big Science
material instead, suggested Q&A to follow. ©2003 Let’s Talk Science
www.letstalkscience.ca
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CHOICE 1: Overhead Projector
To help explain the concept of transparent, translucent and opaque, the facilitator will use an
overhead projector, an acetate picture of a fish and 3 petri dishes – one with water, one with
water and a lot of cornstarch, and one with water and a little cornstarch.
The first thing we are going to learn about light is that it can pass through many forms of
matter. I’m going to use the overhead projector to help me demonstrate this property of light.
What is the source of light in this overhead?
A light bulb.
(Put the fish on the overhead, cover the fish with a Petri dish and add a bit of water to the
dish.)
Can we see the fish through the water? Yes. Why?
The water is clear.
Yes, when we are talking about light, we say that the water is transparent.
What does a transparent material allow the light to do?
A transparent material lets all the light through.
What are some things in the classroom that are transparent?
Air, glass and windows, etc…
(Put the text card with the word transparent on the board.)
(Add a drop or 2 of food colouring to the water in the petri dish.)
What happens when we add food colouring to the water? Can we still see the fish?
Yes, the water is still transparent, but coloured.
Can you think of some places we use coloured transparent materials everyday?
Sunglasses, visors, anti-glare screen on a computer, report covers, traffic lights, car
windshields, holiday lights, sun catchers, stained glass, etc…
Now, what will happen when we add cornstarch to the water?
(Mix some corn starch and water in another petri dish and place it over the fish on the
overhead.)
You cannot see the fish.
The fish is not visible any more. The water has become opaque.
Why can we no longer see the fish?
The water does not let the light through – it does not transmit the light. The fish is still
there, but we cannot see it because the water is opaque.
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
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So what does opaque mean?
Something that is opaque doesn't let light through.
What are some things in the room that are opaque?
Walls, curtains, tables, chairs, etc.
(Put the text card with the word opaque on the board.)
Now, what will happen when we only add a little bit of cornstarch to the water?
(Mix a very small amount of the cornstarch into a petri dish.)
It's a little fuzzy. This is translucent.
Translucent means that some light travels through it.
What are some objects in the room that are translucent?
Light covers, frosted glass, report covers
Light can pass through some types of materials. The amount of light that passes through
depends on the kind of materials. That material can be transparent, opaque or translucent.
CHOICE 2: If you do NOT have access to an overhead projector use the following Q&A.
To help explain the concept of transparent, translucent and opaque the facilitator will use an
acetate picture of a fish, a clear acetate, a frosted acetate and a piece of cardstock.
The first thing we are going to learn about light is that it can pass through many forms of
matter
(Hold up the fish, cover the fish with the clear acetate.)
Can we see the fish through the acetate? Yes. Why?
The acetate is clear.
Yes, when we are talking about light, we say that the acetate is transparent.
What does a transparent material allow the light to do?
A transparent material lets all the light through.
What are some things in the classroom that are transparent?
Air, glass and windows, etc…(Put the text card with the word transparent on the board.)
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(Cover the fish with the coloured acetate.)
What happens when we add coloured acetate? Can we still see the fish?
Yes, the acetate is still transparent, but coloured.
Can you think of some places we use coloured transparent materials everyday?
Sunglasses, visors, anti-glare screen on a computer, report covers, traffic lights, car
windshields, holiday lights, sun catchers, stained glass, etc…
Now, what will happen when we put cardstock over the fish?
You cannot see the fish.
The fish is not visible any more. The cardstock is opaque.
Why can we no longer see the fish?
The cardstock does not let the light through – it does not transmit the light. The fish is
still there, but we cannot see it because the cardstock is opaque.
So what does opaque mean?
Something that is opaque doesn't let light through.
What are some things in the room that are opaque?
Walls, curtains, tables, chairs, etc.
(Put the text card with the word opaque on the board.)
Now, what will happen when we put a frosted acetate over the fish?
It's a little fuzzy. This is translucent.
Translucent means that some light travels through it.
What are some objects in the room that are translucent?
Light covers, frosted glass, report covers
Light can pass through some types of materials. The amount of light that passes through
depends on the kind of materials. That material can be transparent, opaque or translucent.
CHOICE: You can explain Station #1a at this point or
explain all of the stations at the end of the introduction.
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Station Explanation
At this first station you will be making predictions about which materials are
transparent, translucent and opaque. Examine each material and record your
prediction on the worksheet (show the worksheet). Then test each material
and see if the picture of our logo is visible through the materials. This is
your test result. Record these results on your worksheet.
What materials are translucent, transparent or opaque?
The students will make predictions and test the following materials. The
materials will be mounted in 4”x 6” frames.
Acetate (overhead transparency)
Window screening
Tissue paper
Cardboard
Plexiglass
Plastic shopping bag
Aluminum Foil
White paper
ACTIVITY #1b: SHADOWS (5 min.)
Oral instructions
Objectives of Activity:
To understand how a shadow is created and discover how light
direction affects the location, size and shape of shadows
Suggested Instructions, Q & A
You will be given pictures of shadows made with various household objects.
You will also be given a bag of objects and a flashlight. By positioning the
light and the objects recreate the shadow pictures.
What happens when light shines on an opaque object?
You get a shadow. Light does not go through the object.
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Station Explanation
DELIVERY HINT: It may be useful to tell students that
when recreating the shadow, try to recreate the angle and
size of the shadow.
Place an object upright on the X beside the picture of a shadow. Use a piece
of plasticine to hold the object in an upright position. Using a flashlight,
move the flashlight around the object to recreate the shadow picture.
ACTIVITY #2a: REFLECTION – MIRROR MAZE (10 min.)
Oral instructions
Objectives of Activity
To show that light travels in straight lines.
To see that light bounces off reflective objects.
Suggested Instructions, Q & A
We have already learned one important thing about light, and that is that it
can travel through some materials and not others. The next thing that we
are going to talk about is how light reflects off of certain objects.
What is reflection?
When light strikes a mirror it bounces off.
This is called reflection of light. When you see the image of your face in a
mirror, you are seeing the reflection of light from your face.
Where do you see your reflection?
Mirrors, glass, shiny metals.
A) Reflection Demo #1
Have a student volunteer stand at the front of the class. The volunteer
must keep their eyes facing straight ahead. How can they use a mirror to
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see their feet? They might say that they could hold the mirror in front of
them. Have them try to hold the mirror perpendicular to the floor so that
they still can’t see their feet. What do they need to do now to see their
feet? They need to angle the mirror. Or they need to move the mirror
downwards towards their feet. Have them track the path of light from the
source to their feet up to the mirror and into their eyes. The light was
bouncing off the mirror at an angle.
BRIGHT IDEA: Have the student stand sideways so their
classmates can see the angle of the mirror.
Use the ball to demonstrate how light bounces off a mirror.
When the student held the mirror perpendicular to the floor the light
bounced straight back so all they could see was their eyes (or maybe their
face and what is directly behind them). Bounce the ball directly down. The
ball should come straight back up. When the student tilted the mirror the
light hit it at an angle and then bounced back at an angle. Light reflects
from a mirror at the same angle as it arrives.
Normal
angle of reflection
angle of incidence
Angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
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Station Explanation
At the reflection station you will set up the maze on the designated mat.
Lines are pre-drawn indicating where the maze walls, flashlight and light
bulb picture should be placed.
Working as a team, you will need to arrange the mirrors throughout the
maze so that when you shine the light into the maze the light reflects off of
the mirrors and shines on the picture of the light bulb at the end.
DELIVERY HINT: Set this station up ahead of time so
the students can see an example. Tape the maze mat to
the table.
BRIGHT IDEA: If the students finish early. Have them
rearrange the maze adding more walls and more mirrors
ACTIVITY #2b: MIRROR WRITING (5 min.)
Task card
Oral instructions
Objectives of Activity
 To see that the image seen in the mirror is a flip of the original
object.
Station Explanation
Write your name on the worksheet so that when you look at it in a mirror it
appears correct.
Mirror
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ACTIVITY #3a: REFRACTION – BENDING
LIGHT(15 min.)
Oral instructions
Objectives of Activity
To demonstrate that refraction is the bending of light as it passes from
one transparent material to another.
To observe refraction using simple lenses and devices.
Suggested Instructions, Q & A
We have already learned two important things about light – it can go through
some different materials and it can be reflected off of smooth surfaces.
A) Toy Car Demo
There is a third thing that happens to light as it travels. Let me
demonstrate using these two toy cars and two different road surfaces.
Imagine that each car is a ray of light energy travelling very fast in a
straight line. (The speed of light is about 300 000 km/s.) The material that
light travels through can affect its speed.
Which car will travel faster, the one going on the smooth surface or the one
on the rough surface?
The car on the smooth surface.
DELIVERY HINT: Don’t use a steep incline when
releasing the car.
(Have yourself or 2 volunteers release the cars at the same time. The
“ramp” should be on a slight angle so the entire class can see.)
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On the smooth road, there was less resistance so that car traveled faster.
On the rough road, there was more resistance so this car traveled at a
slower speed. The same thing happens with light.
What will happen if one car, one ray of light, travels from the smooth
surface to the rough surface?
The car will slow down when it hits the rough surface.
(Move one car so that it travels in a straight line from the smooth surface to
the rough surface.)
What happens when you ride your bike from the road straight onto the grass
or into sand?
You slow down, change speed
That is what is happening to light in this case.
Now, what will happen to the car as it travels on an angle from the smooth
surface to the rough surface?
It will slow down and change direction or bend when it hits the rough
side.
(Hold the ramp at an angle and move the car so that one of the front wheels
hits first and turns the car onto the rough side. Do it in slow motion a few
times. If this demo works consistently for you, you may release the car and
have it turn on its own.)
Light, when travelling at an angle, will slow down and bend when it encounters
a different material.
Plastic
Cardboard
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Sandpaper
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
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What happens when you look down at your feet in a swimming pool?
Your feet look bigger, your legs look shorter and it looks like you legs
are on an angle.
This is because the light is being bent as it travels through the water.
Think of this example: you are rollerblading down a smooth hill and suddenly
notice a patch of grass in front of you. You try to miss it, but unfortunately,
your left rollerblade runs over the grass while your right one stays on the
pavement. What will happen? Your body will turn to the left, as you start to
run over the grass. Since your left rollerblade suddenly slows down, but
your right one keeps going at the same speed, your body is forced to make a
left turn. This is the same thing that happens to a beam of light when it
travels from one transparent material to another.
CHOICE: This demo can be included by the facilitator if
there is time.
B) Broken Pencil Demo
(Fill a clear cup ¾ full of water. Place a pencil in the cup at an angle. Ask the
students to observe the pencil.)
Does the pencil look like it is broken?
Yes
The light is being bent as it travels through the water, making it appear that
the pencil is not straight.
We have learned from our examples that when light travels from one
material into another material, it may change direction and speed. This
change is called refraction. Refraction only takes place if light rays enter
the new material at an angle.
Station Explanation
At the refraction station your group will set up a flashlight so that its light
shines through the paper towel tube, and then onto a comb so that you get
shadows of the comb teeth on the desk. These shadows will show you what
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In-class workshops, Bright LIGHTS, Big Science
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direction the light is travelling. Draw the shadows on your worksheet. Then
you will add a glass of coloured water, look to see what happens to the
shadows and draw the new shadows. Do the same thing again but this time
with a lens.
Hint: watch closely to see if the light changes direction as it passes through
different materials.
DELIVERY HINT: Make sure the flashlight is always
pointing towards the window. Make the room as dark as
possible, but light enough so students can still do other
activities.
ACTIVITY #3b: REFRACTION – MAGNIFING GLASSES
(15 min.)
Oral instructions
Objectives of Activity
To understand that we use refraction to help us see objects more clearly.
Suggested Instructions, Q & A
Use the magnifying glasses to read the tiny symbols on the cards.
Draw the magnified images in the squares provided.
ACTIVITY #3c: REFRACTION – REFRACTION VIEWERS
(15 min.)
Oral instructions
Objectives of Activity
To demonstrate that white light is made up of many colours.
Suggested Instructions, Q & A
Use the refraction viewers to see the colours of the rainbow.
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E. Debrief
We have been learning about three things that light does. At the station
where you compared the different materials that you could see through, we
were looking at the transmission of light.
What does the word transparent mean?
It lets all the light through.
What materials were transparent?
Clear plexiglass, acetate, holes in the screen
What does the word opaque mean?
It lets no light through.
What materials were opaque?
Cardboard, aluminum foil, wires in the screen, paper.
If light shines around an opaque object what do you get?
Shadows.
Was everyone able to recreate the shadows? What time of day do you cast
the shortest shadows?
At noon, when the sun is at its highest.
What does the word translucent mean?
It lets some light through.
What materials were translucent?
Plastic shopping bag, tissue paper, screen.
Answers may be different based on many factors such as the distance the
frames are held from the logos, as well as the children’s visual abilities.
Transparency is a sliding scale. The screen fabric is a tricky material, as the
screen fabric itself is opaque, and the spaces in between the fabric strands
are transparent. Our eyes compensate for this and we see the whole
material as translucent.
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What is reflection?
Light bouncing.
How did we use reflection to light up the picture at the end of the maze?
Light was reflected from mirror to mirror.
We also found out that light can be bent. What is the word for the bending
of light?
Refraction.
What happened to the rays of light after they passed through the glass of
water?
The lines crossed, lines came together in a point.
What happened to the rays of light after they passed through the other
lens?
The lines spread out.
Light is refracted as it passes through a lens. Even something as simple as a
glass of water can act as a lens. Eyeglasses are lenses that bend light as it
travels to our eyes. They help to focus the light so we can see an object
clearly.
Where are some other places that lenses can be found?
Our eyes, cameras, movie projectors, slide projectors, overhead
projectors, microscopes, telescopes, headlights, etc.
Did the magnifying glass make the image bigger or smaller?
Bigger
What were the 3 symbols on the cards?
Smiley face
Hand
Candle
The magnifying glasses act just like the first glass lens and bend the light
reflected from the object inwards. They help us to see small things more
clearly.
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The other instruments at the table were there for you to try out and to see
that we use refraction in many different ways. All of these devices were
designed using our knowledge of refraction of light.
Were you able to see a rainbow with the refraction viewer?
What colours did you see?
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
What is happening?
As the light enters the viewer it hits the different thicknesses of plastic.
These variations in thickness act like a prism, the plastic slows the light
down. Imagine that this is like running through air and then running through
water. White light from the sun or a flashlight is a mixture of many colours.
Each colour that we see is a wavelength of light travelling at a different
speed. Red light, with the longest wavelength, is bent the least by the prism
and violet light, with the shortest wavelength, is bent the most. These
different wavelengths are sensed by our eyes as different colours.
Can you think of other things that act like prisms?
Diamond rings, sun catchers, etc.
All are prisms refracting light to give us a beautiful sparkle and many minirainbows.
F. Take Home Activity
ACTIVITY #4: MAKE A KALEIDOSCOPE (20 min.)
Objective of Activity
To investigate how light interacts in an optical device – a kaleidoscope.
Design, make and test an optical device.
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Suggested Instructions, Q & A
Now we are going to make an optical device that uses some of the properties
of light we have learned about today. Everyone will make a kaleidoscope to
take home.
Can anyone tell me what a kaleidoscope does?
A kaleidoscope is an optical toy in which we can see an endless variety
of beautiful colours.
The word kaleidoscope has a Greek origin and means “beautiful form viewer”.
Greek:
kalos + eidos + scopos
English:
Beautiful + form + viewer
The kaleidoscope was invented by Sir David Brewster in 1816 and it quickly
became a popular optical toy.
Can you think of names of any other optical devices that have the word
“scope” in them?
Microscope, telescope, oscilloscope.
A microscope is a viewer for very small things. A telescope is a viewer
for things that are at a distance. An oscilloscope allows us to view wave
vibrations.
Kaleidoscope Directions
1. Draw a design on the small piece of acetate and on the large piece of
acetate using any colours with permanent marker.
2. Glue a piece of the shiny mylar onto the cardstock.
3. Fold the cardstock and mylar along the dotted lines to form a triangular
prism with the mylar on the inside.
4. Tape the prism together along the seam.
5. Poke a pin through the large acetate in the middle. Then, poke the pin
through the small acetate in one corner so they are held together with
the pin.
6. Tape the pin and acetate pieces to one end of the tube directly above a
point of the prism.
7. Look through the open end of the tube, point it towards the light and turn
the large acetate with your finger.
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G. Wrap - Up
What did you see in the kaleidoscope? What happens? What do the mirrors
do to the design?
We see lots of colours and repeated patterns of colour. The mirrors
reflect the design many times.
What two properties of light do our kaleidoscopes use to create the colours
and patterns we see?
Light passing through materials and reflection. Light comes from the
source of light in the room, through the transparent, coloured acetate
to our eye. Inside the kaleidoscope the light is reflected off the
mirrors to produce multiple images.
SAFETY: Do NOT look through your kaleidoscope directly at
the sun.
We have had a lot of fun today learning about light. What are the four
things that we learned about light today?
Light passes through different materials in different ways.
Materials can be transparent, translucent and opaque.
Light can be reflected.
Light can be refracted or bent.
What was your favourite activity today?
Do you think Science is fun?
Do you like Science?
Do you have any questions for me?
H. Glossary
Artificial Light
Light from electric lamps or other people-made sources of light.
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Bioluminescence
The production of light by living organisms.
Colour
The visual sensation that is produced when light of certain wavelengths
reaches the retina of the eye. The colours red, orange, green, blue, indigo
and violet (ROYGBIV) form the light spectrum.
Concave
Curving inward
Convex
Curving outward
Fibre optics
The technique of transmitting light through long, thin, flexible fibres of
glass, plastic or other transparent materials; bundles of parallel fibres can
be used to transmit complete messages.
Focus
The point at which light rays meet after they have been reflected or
refracted. An image looks sharp or clear when it is in focus.
Image
A copy of an object that occurs when light rays are reflected off a mirror
or refracted through a lens.
Kaleidoscope
A device that uses several mirrors, all facing inward at an angle of 60º to
each other. The many reflections of coloured light inside form attractive
symmetrical patterns.
Lens
A curved piece of glass or other transparent material that forms an image
by bending light rays.
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Light
A special form of energy that can be seen by our eyes and makes things
visible.
Opaque
A material that lets no light through, that is, not transparent to the human
eye.
Periscope
A device that reflects light through two right angles and enables a person to
see over or around obstacles.
Prism
A triangular piece of glass or other transparent material used to split white
light into the colour spectrum.
Ray
The straight path followed by light as it travels from its source.
Reflection
The change in direction of a wave when it bounces off a boundary.
Refraction
Bending of light rays when they travel from one transparent substance to
another - amount of refraction is related to the density of the substance.
Shadow
An area which light rays cannot reach due to an obstacle in their path.
Spectrum
A band of colours formed when a beam of light is broken up by being passed
through some material, such as a prism.
Telescope
An instrument using lenses or mirrors, or both, used for making distant
objects appear nearer and larger.
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Total Internal Reflection
A phenomenon in which light travelling from a dense to a less dense medium
hits the boundary between them at an angle equal or greater to the critical
angle of incidence such that instead of being refracted by entering the less
dense medium, the light is completely reflected by the boundary and remains
in the dense medium.
Translucent
A material that lets some of the light through, that is, the material allows
fuzzy or unclear shapes to be seen by the human eye.
Transmission
How light travels through matter. How light is transmitted classifies
materials as transparent, translucent or opaque.
Transparent
A material that lets all the light through, that is, the human eye may see
through the medium easily and clearly.
I. Background Information
Binoculars
Lenses in binoculars collect and magnify the light from objects. As light
passes through the objective lenses, an upside-down reversed image of the
object is produced. There are two prisms in each half of a pair of
binoculars. The prisms are specially shaped and reflect light from two of
their faces. One prism turns the image the right way up and the other turns
it the right way around. The four successive reflections provide a long path
for the light to travel within a small space. This allows binoculars to be
made much shorter and more portable than telescopes.
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescent organisms glow because of a chemical process. Usually, a
substance called luciferin reacts with oxygen in the presence of another
substance, an enzyme called luciferase. The chemical energy from the
reaction is turned into light and produces very little or no heat. Most
bioluminescent organisms live in the sea and use this light to see where they
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are going or to search for food. Some organisms use it to draw in prey, while
others use it as a defense mechanism to frighten away predators. Fireflies
use light to attract a mate. Bioluminescence usually is not a steady light,
either flashing on and off or glowing only when stimulated.
Fireflies
Fireflies light up through a process called bioluminescence. Fireflies contain
specialized cells in their abdomen that make light. The cells contain a
chemical called luciferin and make an enzyme called luciferase. To make
light, luciferin combines with oxygen to form oxyluciferin. The luciferase
speeds up the reaction.
The overall reaction is:
Luciferin + ATP + O2
luciferase
oxyluciferin + PPi + AMP + Light
The cells that make the light also have uric acid crystals in them that help to
reflect the light away from the abdomen. Finally the oxygen is supplied to
the cells through a tube in the abdomen called the abdominal trachea. It is
not known whether the on-off switching of the light is controlled by nerve
cells or oxygen supply.
Eye
The eye works by: light rays travelling through the eye. Light passes
through the cornea and the lens. Both are convex and bend light inward.
The lens in the eye is able to change shape so objects both near and far can
be focused on the retina. For example, when you look at a near object, the
lens bulges, causing the light rays to bend more and focus the near object on
the retina. When you look at a distant object, the lens narrows, causing the
light rays to bend less and focus the distant object on the retina. The image
on the retina is upside down and reversed. The retina is packed with cells
that sense light. Some are shaped like rods which work in dim light and form
images in black and white. Some are shaped like cones and sense colour.
These rods and cones send messages to the brain along the optic nerve.
Farsighted
A farsighted person can clearly see distant objects but is unable to focus on
near objects. The eyeball is too short or the lens of the eye is too thin.
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When looking at a near object, the light entering the eye is not refracted
enough. The image is focused behind the retina and as a result, is blurred.
Fibre Optics
Fibre optics is used to transmit most telephone calls and emails. The voice
or email is converted by electronics into pulses of light and carried by
optical fibre cables to their destination. There, more electronics turn the
light back into sound or data. Optical fibres are made from a very thin core
of glass that can refract (bend) light strongly. The core is surrounded by a
coating of glass, called the cladding, which cannot bend light as much. When
light enters the fibre at a certain angle, the boundary between the core and
the cladding acts like a mirror and reflects it back and forth down the fibre.
Light is able to travel very long distances this way. Another use for fibre
optics is in endoscopes. Endoscopes are long, thin medical instruments for
seeing inside the body and contain bundles of optical fibres. Images are
transmitted to television screens or an eyepiece for the doctor to see.
Optical Fibres
Strands of glass that conduct light. The fibre is about as thin as a human
hair and can carry as much information as several thousand copper telephone
wires. Each fibre is made of a:
Core - thin glass center of the fibre where the light travels;
Cladding - an outer optical material surrounding the core that reflects
the light back into the core;
Buffer coating - a plastic coating that protects the fibre from
damage.
Thousands of these optical fibres can be arranged in bundles in optical
cables. The bundles are protected by the cables outer covering called a
jacket.
Fluorescent Tube
Fluorescence is defined as visible light given off by some substances when
they absorb ultraviolet radiation. Fluorescent lights work because some
materials fluoresce (absorb radiation at one frequency and then give it out
at another frequency). A fluorescent bulb contains mercury gas inside a
glass tube. Electricity is passed through the tube which is coated inside
with fluorescent crystals, called phosphors. When this happens, the gas
inside the tube becomes excited and emits ultraviolet light. Since we cannot
see UV light, the phosphors absorb the UV light and convert it into visible
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light. The material also becomes hot during this process, so it also emits
some light in the same way as hot objects. The advantage of fluorescent
lights is they are very efficient at converting electrical energy into light, as
only a few specific frequencies are used. Fluorescence can occur in nature a fluorescent rock will glow under an ultraviolet lamp.
Glasses
Glasses are used by people who have eyes that do not focus properly
(nearsighted or farsighted). They have been used in North America for at
least 700 years. The earliest glasses had convex lenses to help farsighted
people focus on nearby objects. In 1784, Benjamin Franklin invented
''bifocals'' glasses with lenses split into two parts, each with a different
focal length. A contact lens does the same job as an eyeglass lens, but it
sits on the surface of the eye.
Glow-sticks
Chemical glow light sticks glow in the dark when two different chemicals are
mixed together. Glow light sticks consist of one plastic casing molded into a
certain shape containing a chemical fluid. Inside this casing, floating around
in the fluid, are two or more brittle glass casings, containing another
chemical. When the outer plastic casing is bent, the glass casings inside it
break, thus releasing its chemicals. The mixture of these two different
chemicals causes a chemical reaction and creates the glowing effect. Glow
sticks may last up to 8 hours. It is possible to restart a used light stick by
placing it in hot water for a few seconds. It is also possible to lengthen the
chemical process for more than 24 hours by placing the glow stick in a
freezer.
Holograms
3-D photos called holograms are created with lasers. One half of the laser
beam is directed onto a special holographic film, while the other half of the
beam is scattered off the subject. The pattern of light recorded on the
film where the two beams meet represents both how bright and how far
away from the film each part of the subject is. Light shining at the
developed film from certain angles reveals a 3-D image.
Indiglo™
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The basic technology behind the Indiglo™ watch is called
electroluminescence, which is the conversion of electricity directly into
light. In an Indiglo™ watch, a thin panel uses high voltage to energize
phosphor atoms that produce light. The panel is very simple and consists of
a thin glass or plastic layer coated with a clear conductor (like copper).
Then, the conductor is coated with a very thin layer of phosphor. The
phosphor is coated with a thin plastic and another electrode is added (like
zinc sulphide). This is actually two conductors (a capacitor) with phosphor in
between. When the alternating current (100-200 volts AC) is applied to the
conductors, the phosphor is energized and begins to emit photons. To
produce the high voltage in a watch with a 1.5 volt battery, a 1:100
transformer is used.
Laser
The laser was first invented in 1960. Laser is an acronym for the phrase
“light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”. Laser light is
monochromatic and is made up of mainly one wavelength and appears to us as
a single, very pure beam of colour. Most lasers have either gas, or a crystal
such as a ruby, trapped inside a small space with mirrors at each end. They
operate by a burst of very bright light or electricity which causes the gas or
crystal to produce light. The colour of the light depends on the substance
trapped - rubies give red lights, for example. The light then reflects back
and forth off the mirrors in the cavity. Each time the light passes through
the crystal or gas, it causes them to give off more light. An extremely
powerful laser beam then emerges from a small hole in one of the mirrors.
Some uses of lasers include medical surgery, creating holograms, reading
data on compact discs and cutting metal.
LCD
LCD is short for Liquid Crystal Display, which is numbers shown on digital
watches and calculators as black lines against a grey background. . A thin
layer of a liquid crystal is sandwiched between two sheets of glass. The
glass is coated with a transparent film of metal. A pattern of seven short
lines that form the number 8 are etched into the top glass sheet. When a
small electrical charge is applied to the short lines, it causes the liquid
crystal to turn black and outline the numbers to show the time or
computation.
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LED
LED is short for Light-Emitting Diode. LED light is often found on stereo
controls and other electronic equipment. LED light comes from two attached
layers of crystal material. One material normally has too many electrons and
the other has too few. When an electric current flows, the extra electrons
move to the side with fewer electrons and the red light is produced.
Lens
A lens is a piece of transparent material that has at least one smoothly
curved surface. A convex lens (bulges out) causes light to bend in and
converge or come together. Objects look larger or smaller, depending on
their distance from the lens. Uses of convex lenses include magnifying
glasses. A concave lens (caves in) causes light to bend outward and diverge
or spread out. Light rays appear to come from a virtual focal point the same
side of the lens as the light enters. Concave lenses make objects look
smaller.
Light
Light is a form of energy that we think of as travelling in waves. It forms
the small visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes
radio and television waves, microwaves, infrared (heat), ultraviolet (UV), Xrays and gamma rays. The current theory is that light can travel both as
waves and as tiny particles of energy called photons, but never both at the
same time. Light comes from atoms, the tiny bits of matter from which
everything is made. The electrons circling around every atom send out light.
When an atom is given a burst of energy by, for example, an electric spark,
the electron becomes energized. Light sources send out light when their
atoms become energized or excited and move out further from the centre
of the atom and then back again - typically when they get hot. Light is
created by energy and is a form of energy itself. Each photon of light is so
small that the amount of energy it contains is minute. But, a beam of light
contains billions of photons and so the amount of energy it contains is quite
large. Light travels in straight lines from its source.
Light Bulbs
The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. The first bulbs were
made from hand blown glass bulbs, a carbonized thread (the filament), a
vacuum pump to force out all of the air and a wooden screw base. The
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machine that produced the electricity was called a dynamo and the electric
current was provided by way of copper wires in the bulb. Today, the electric
light lamp, or incandescent light bulb, changes electrical energy into light
energy. When a light switch is turned on, a current of electricity is sent
through wires to the lamp. Inside the sealed glass bulb filled with an inert
gas, electricity flows through a length of very thin tungsten wire suspended
between two electrodes. This wire is called a filament. The filament is too
thin to carry the electricity, so it overheats (2500 C) and glows white hot.
Electric lamps are very inefficient, as only about 5% of the electrical energy
supplied to the bulb becomes visible light. The other 95% is changed into
heat. Tungsten halide bulbs operate at 3500 C, emit more light in the visible
range and are brighter light sources than ordinary bulbs.
Microscope
The microscope was invented c. 1590 by Zacharias Janssen. Robert Hooke
made compound microscopes containing two or sometimes three lenses. Most
optical microscopes are compound microscopes containing at least two convex
lenses. The objective lens (or lenses) near the specimen collects light
reflected from it and forms a magnified image. The eyepiece lens (or
lenses) magnifies the image even more. One thousand times magnification is
possible. The electron microscope is used to magnify things hundreds of
thousands of times. It uses beams of electrons rather than light. Light
waves are too long to reflect off very, very tiny specimen. Tiny things can,
however, interact with electron beams.
Mirages
A mirage is caused by refraction. A mirage occurs when a layer of warm air
next to the ground is trapped by cooler air above. Light rays from distant
objects are refracted as they pass from cool air into warmer air. Light is
bent toward the horizontal line of vision and eventually it is made to travel
upward by total internal reflection. The light rays appear to be coming from
the ground, thus, the mirage is an upside-down 'virtual' image (an image that
does not produce light). So, what appears to be water is really a reflection
of the sky.
Nearsighted
A nearsighted person can see well close up but is unable to focus on objects
a long distance away. The eyeball is too long or the lens of the eye is too
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thick. This causes the light to be refracted too much when it enters the
eye. The image of a distant object is focused in front of the retina and is
blurred.
Night Vision
Night vision equipment amplifies the moonlight and starlight reflected from
objects so that they appear many times brighter. Each photon of light is
converted into an electron and then each electron is multiplied into many
more electrons. A screen at the end of the device glows brightly whenever
one of these electrons hits it and produces a visible image.
Periscope
A device used for seeing over or around an obstacle; it uses the laws of
reflection. What we see at the eyepiece is a reflection that has bounced
from angled mirror to angled mirror inside the periscope.
Primary Colours of Light
The primary colours of light are red, blue and yellow. Combinations of these
three primary colours can make any other colour. For example:
red + yellow = orange
blue + red = magenta
blue + yellow = green
blue + red + yellow = white
Rainbows
All rainbows are produced by the sun's light. After a shower, tiny round
drops of water are left in the air. As sunlight enters the drops, each of the
colours in the white light is refracted, or bent, by a slightly different
amount. This produces all of the colours of the rainbow. The dispersed light
is reflected from the back of the droplet, and returns in the observer's
direction. Upon leaving the droplet, the light is again refracted and
dispersed. A rainbow is the dispersing effect of millions of droplets of
water. Red appears at the top of the primary bow, with orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo and violet below. The colours depend on the position of
the drop in the sky. Red light is seen from raindrops at an angle of 42
degrees to the line of the horizon and blue light is seen from those at 40
degrees. All other colours of the rainbow are seen from drops between
these two angles. When a secondary rainbow appears, the colours are
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reversed. Light entering the raindrops is reflected inside twice. Red light is
then seen from raindrops that are at an angle of 50 degrees to the line of
the horizon, and blue light from drops at an angle of 54 degrees. Neat
Fact: Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first people to reason that white
light was made up of many colours. He used a glass prism to split light into
its separate colours. Besides the 6 main colours (red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, violet), Newton distinguished a seventh colour, indigo, since he believed
the number 7 has mystical significance.
Reflection
When light strikes a mirror it bounces off. This is called reflection. When
you see the image of your face in a mirror, you are seeing the reflection of
light from your face. Light reflects from a mirror at the same angle as it
arrives. Reflection works this way even when it involves rough surfaces.
Wherever a ray reflects from a surface it has an equal angle to the normal
at that spot as it had before the reflection. When light reflects from a
smooth surface, all of its rays reflect in the same direction. When light
reflects from a rough surface, the rays reflect in many directions because
the normals at all spots on the surface points in many different directions.
Thus, you can see your reflection in a mirror, but not crumpled aluminum foil.
NORMAL
ANGLE of REFLECTION
ANGLE of INCIDENCE
Note: all things (except black things) reflect some light. For example a red
scarf absorbs all colours but reflects red. That is why it appears red.
Angle of Incidence: The angle at which the light is striking the mirror.
Angle of Reflection: The angle at which the light is leaving the mirror.
Normal: 90° from the mirrors surface
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Refracting Telescopes
The first telescopes were all refracting telescopes and used lenses to bend
light. A simple refracting telescope has two lenses - a large objective lens
with a long focal length at the end of the telescope and a smaller eyepiece
lens with a short focal length into which the observer looks. The objective
lens gathers the light rays from a distant object and then bends them to
form an upside-down ''real'' image (an image that produces light). Light
rays from this image pass through the eyepiece lens and are bent again so
that they become parallel. The distant object will appear bigger.
Refraction
Light rays always bend away from the surface when they pass from a less
dense material into a denser one. Rays bend toward the surface when they
pass from denser material into a less dense material.
Snell's Law of Refraction
In 1621 the Dutch mathematician and astronomer Willebrord Snell (15801626) discovered the precise mathematical relationship between a beam's
''angle of incidence'' (its angle before bending) and its ''angle of
refraction'' (its angle after bending). His law shows that every substance
has a characteristic bending power - its ''refractive index''. The more a
substance bends light, the larger its refractive index.
Sources of Light
There are two common ways of making light: heat something until it glows
(principle used for incandescent bulbs), or excite something electrically so
that it fluoresces. When an object is heated, it produces light. Hot objects
emit a broad spectrum of light. The frequency and wavelength at which
most of the light is emitted depends on the temperature of the object.
Therefore, the hotter the object, the shorter the wavelength of energy
emitted.
Spotlights and Searchlights
Spotlights and searchlights are also electric lights. They contain two thin
carbon rods with a short gap between their ends. When an electric current
is sent through the rods, the electricity jumps across the gas as a bright
spark called an arc.
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The Sun
The surface temperature of the sun is approximately 6000° C. The sun
emits heat and a tremendous amount of light. This produced light is at a
higher frequency and shorter wavelength than incandescent bulbs. Fortyone percent of the sun's light is in the visible light range.
J. Suggested Resources
Light Experiments
http://www.hunkinsexperiments.com/themes/themes_light.htm
Light Experiments
http://www.scoutingresources.org.uk/badges_scientist2.html
Refraction
http://id.mind.net/~zona/mstm/physics/light/rayOptics/refraction/refracti
on1.html
Pinhole Camera
http://www.exploratorium.edu/light_walk/camera_todo.html
Periscope
http://www.lightwave.soton.ac.uk/experiments/periscope/periscope.html
Microscope
http://home.houston.rr.com/molerat/micro.htm
Magnifying Glass
http://www.dimdima.com/work/magnify.htm
Telescope
http://home.houston.rr.com/molerat/tel.htm
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K. Bibliography
Barkan, J. (1991). Creatures that glow.
New York: Doubleday
ISBN: 0-385-41978-3
Berger, M. (1987). Lights, Lenses and Lasers.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0-399-61214-9
Burnie, David (1992) Eyewitess Science Light.
New York: Dorling Kindersley Inc.
ISBN 1-879431-79-3
Cosner, S. (1984). The Light Bulb.
New York: Walker and Company
ISBN: 0-8027-6527-0
Day, T. (1998). Light.
Texas: Steek – Vaughn Company
Evans, D., & Williams, C. (1993) Color & Light.
Richmond Hill: Scholastic
ISBN 0-590-74591-3
Farndon, J. (2001). Light and Optics.
New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation
ISBN: 0-7614-1090-2
Fiarotta, P & Fiarotta, N. (1999). Great Experiments with Light.
Scholastic Inc.
ISBN 0-439-16835-X
Gore, G. (2000). Experimenting with Light and Colour.
Toronto: Trifolium Books Inc.
ISBN: 1-55244-036-2
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Kerrod, R., & Holgate, S.A. (2002) The Way Science Works.
United States: Dorling Kindersley Inc.
ISBN 0-7894-8562-1
Lauber, P. (1994). What do you see & how do you see it? – exploring light,
colour, and vision.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.
Levine, S. & J. Johnstone. (1998). The Optics Book.
New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8069-9947-0
Morgan, N. (1997). Lasers.
Austin: Steck-Vaughn Company
ISBN: 0-8172-4812-9
Stockley, C. et al. (1988). The Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science.
England: Usborne Publishing Ltd.
ISBN 0-86020-989-X
Taylor, Barbara (1990) Bouncing and Bending Light.
New York: Franklin Watts
ISBN 0531-14014-8
Tomecek, S. (1995). Bouncing and Bending Light.
New York: W.H. Freeman and Company
ISBN: 0-7167-6541-1
Watson, P. (1982) Light Fantastic Great Britain.
Methue Children's Books Ltd.
ISBN 0-688-00969-7
Zubrowski, B.(1992) Mirrors Finding out About the Properties of Light.
Boston: Bernie Zubrowski and the Children's Museum
Bonus
www.bonus.com/contour/beakman/http@@/www.bea.../magnify.htm
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Bonus
www.bonus.com/contour/beakman/http@@/www.bea.../magnify.htm
University of Arizona - Optical Sciences Center
www. Optics.Arizona.EDU/K-12_Outeach/Kaleidoscopes/default.htm
Ask Geeves
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Molecular Expressions - Exploring the World of Optics and Microscopy
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceoptics/reflection/index.ht
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World book Macintosh Edition 1998 World Book, Inc and its licensors.
McKay, Sidney Ellen (1998). Award Winning Science: Looking Though
Kaleidoscope. Proceedings of STAO Conference.
www.letstalkscience.ca
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