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College of Science Outreach
Astronomy Resources
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
Calculating the speed of light using chocolate (or other food item)
This is a fun way for students to calculate the speed of light especially as they can
eat their experiment when they are done!
The speed of light can be calculated using the following equation:
c = λf
c is the speed of light ms-1
λ is the wavelength (m)
f is the frequency (s-1)
Materials
 a microwave oven
 a microwave oven safe dish that will easily hold the food item
 either chocolate chips, pappadums or grated cheese
 ruler
Method
1. Remove the turntable from the microwave.
2. Add the food to the dish and spread so that it is a thin layer.
3. Cook on low heat for 30 seconds. The food will not cook evenly and will melt
or cook at the hottest spots.
4. Open the microwave oven door and look at the food for hotspots – DO NOT
move the dish until you can see hotspots.
5. If there are no hotspots close the door and cook the food in short bursts until
you can see hotspots.
6. Remove the dish from the microwave.
7. Using the ruler measure the distance between two adjacent hotspots. Record
your results in the table on the following page:
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
Distance
Distance
(cm)
(m)
1Wavelength
(m)
2Frequency
or λ
(s-1) or
Speed of light
f
c = λxf
(Distance x 2)
1.
The distance between 2 hotspots is the distance between the peak and valley (crest and trough) of the wave
which is half the wavelength of your microwave. To work out one wavelength the distance needs to be
multiplied by 2.
2.
Most microwaves have a frequency of 2458 MHz which is 2 458 000 000 Hz. One hertz is equal to 1 cycle
per second (frequency s-1).
Some interesting facts:

The speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second in a vacuum

Light takes:
o 1.3 s to travel from the moon to Earth
o 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth
o Four and half years to travel from Alpha Centauri to Earth (closest star
after the sun)
o 100,000 years to travel across the Milky way
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
Useful Websites:
Classifying galaxies
http://www.galaxyzoo.org/
Huge numbers of galaxies have been photographed by the Hubble and other
telescopes around the world. It would take years from scientists to catalogue all
these galaxies. So Astronomers have created this website where individuals can
help classify these galaxies. After a quick training session you are then able to start
classifying galaxies. Each galaxy will be seen by many individuals so it does not
matter if sometimes you misclassify a galaxy.
This website is a great way for students to quickly engage in a real astronomy
project. It also enables students to gain some appreciation of how many galaxies are
in our universe as well as their diversity.
Pictures courtesy of Galaxy Zoo
Sunspots
http://spaceweather.com/
This website has a range of material from sunspots to near Earth Asteroids that
would be of interest to students. The images of our Sun are amazing!
Image courtesy of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
The Mars Rover
http://marsrover.nasa.gov/home/
This website has a large range of resources including teacher resources, classroom
activities and videos from the Mars rovers. There are also links to other interesting
sites.
Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech
Solar system simulator
http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/my-solar-system/my-solar-system_en.html
This website enables students to create their own solar system. Students can
investigate the orbits of various “bodies” such as planets or moons using the preset
solar systems or they can create their own solar systems.
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
Space weather centre
http://www.spaceweathercenter.org/education/01/01.html
This website has a range of resources on the Sun and space weather. There are
many excellent pictures highlighting the various features of the Sun such as
magnetic loops and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The site also discusses space
weather and how it can impact our lives.
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
The Solar System to scale
This is a great exercise for students to understand the distances between the planets
in our solar system.
Size (mm)
Distance from sun (m)
Model
Sun
139.0
0
Balloon
Mercury
0.5
6
Pin
Venus
1.2
11
Pin
Earth
1.3
15
Pin
Mars
0.7
23
Pin
Jupiter
14.3
78
Marble
Saturn
12.0
143
Marble
Uranus
5.2
287
Tack
Neptune
4.8
450
Tack
Pluto
0.2
590
Small pin
Alpha Centauri (closest 139.0
4040000 = 4040km
star after our sun)
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz
Draw an Astronomer
Ask the students to draw what they think a typical astronomer looks like. This is a
great way to look at what assumptions students make about scientists.
Make your own solar system
Have the students create their own solar system. Suggestions to get students started
include:
 How many planets – what are their orbits?
 What type of Sun is in the solar system
 Are there any comets – if so what are their orbits?
 Do any of the planets have moons – if so how many and what are their orbits?
Science Outreach: www.outreach.canterbury.ac.nz