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Showing results 1 to 20 of 35
Mirrors and Images
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In this optics activity, learners explore how many objects they can see in a set of mirrors (hinged like a book) at various angles.
CD Spectroscope
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In this activity, learners use an old CD to construct a spectroscope, a device that separates light into its component colors.
Pinhole Viewer
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In this activity, learners discuss and investigate how cameras, telescopes, and their own eyes use light in similar ways.
Earth's Energy Cycle: Albedo
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In this activity, learners experiment and observe how the color of materials that cover the Earth affects the amounts of sunlight our planet absorbs.
Shadow Dance
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In this activity, learners experiment with shadows and light sources to understand the relationship between the angle illumination and the shadow's length.
Mix and Match
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In this optics activity, learners explore color by examining color dots through colored water and the light of a flashlight.
The Bent Pencil
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In this optics activity, learners explore how light bends and affects what we see.
Why Are Bubbles So Colorful?
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In this activity, learners explore why they can see colors in bubbles and why they change.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Angles of Reflection
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In this optics activity, learners work in pairs to explore how mirrors work. Learners use tape to mark the angles needed to see each other's reflection in a wall mirror.
See It to Believe It: Visual Discrimination
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In this activity (12th on the page), learners investigate their ability to discriminate (see) different colors.
Critical Angle
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In this optics activity, learners examine how a transparent material such as glass or water can actually reflect light better than any mirror.
Vanishing Rods
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This is a quick activity/demonstration that introduces learners to the concept of index of refraction. Learners place stirring rods in a jar of water and notice they can see them clearly.
Make a Light Fountain
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In this optics activity, learners make a "light fountain" from a clear plastic bottle, flashlight, and other simple materials.
Soap-Film Interference Model: Get on our wavelength!
Source Institutions
By making models of light waves with paper, learners can understand why different colors appear in bubbles.
Lose a Glass in a Glass
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners use paint thinner to make a small jar seem to disappear inside a larger jar.
Black Magic (Color Chromatography)
Source Institutions
With a coffee filter, a black marker, and a cup of water, discover the secret colors hidden in black ink.
What Causes Rainbows?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners explore how and why rainbows form by creating rainbows in a variety of ways using simple materials. Learners create rainbows indoors and outdoors.
Understanding Albedo
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In this activity related to climate change, learners examine albedo and the ice albedo feedback effect as it relates to snow, ice, and the likely results of reduced snow and ice cover on global temper
The Shadow Knows II
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In this activity, learners will measure the length of a shadow and use the distance from the equator to calculate the circumference of the earth.
Why is the Sky Blue?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use a flashlight, a glass of water, and some milk to examine why the sky is blue and sunsets are red.