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Showing results 1 to 20 of 23
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Why is the Sky Purple?
Source Institutions
This simple hands-on activity demonstrates why the sky appears blue on a sunny day and red during sunrise and sunset.
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Parabolas: It's All Done with Mirrors
Source Institutions
In this activity about light and reflection, learners use a special device called a Mirage Maker™ to create an illusion.
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Rotating Light
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners explore what happens when polarized white light passes through a sugar solution.
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Slide Projector Activities
Source Institutions
This resource contains several mini-explorations using a slide projector as a light source to investigate light and the properties of images.
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Convection Current
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners make their own heat waves in an aquarium.
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Colored Shadows
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners discover that not all shadows are black. Learners explore human color perception by using colored lights to make additive color mixtures.
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The Geophysical Light/Dark Cycle
Source Institutions
This is an activity (located on page 131 of the PDF) related to sleep and circadian rhythms as well as space travel.
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Phantom Phlame
Source Institutions
In this trick, hold your hand over a burning candle without getting burned, by reflecting and transmitting the light of two candles. This activity is best suited as a demonstration.
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Rainbow in the Room
Source Institutions
This activity generates learner excitement about light through the creation of a room-sized rainbow.
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Diffraction
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, demonstrate diffraction using a candle or a small bright flashlight bulb and a slide made with two pencils.
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Touch the Spring (Lightbulb)
Source Institutions
In this activity, a lightbulb is placed in front of a concave mirror. The actual lightbulb is not visible to the viewer, but the viewer can see the mirror image of the lightbulb formed in space.
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Bone Stress
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners examine how polarized light can reveal stress patterns in clear plastic.
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Dark Adaptation
Source Institutions
In this activity (6th on the page), learners investigate how photoreceptors in the eye (rods and cones) "adapt" to low light conditions.
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Vanishing Rods
Source Institutions
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.
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Battling for Oxygen
Working in groups, learners model the continuous destruction and creation of ozone (O3) molecules, which occur in the ozone layer.
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Disappearing Glass Rods
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners discover how they can make glass objects "disappear." Learners submerge glass objects like stirring rods into a beaker of Wesson™ oil to explore how the principles of
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Accommodating Accommodation
Source Institutions
In this demonstration (18th on the page), learners conduct a simple test to explore how the cornea refracts light, which is further bent by the eye lens through a process known as accommodation.
Why is the Sky Blue?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a "mini sky" in a glass of water in a dark room.
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Anti-Gravity Mirror
Source Institutions
In this demonstration, amaze learners by performing simple tricks using mirrors. These tricks take advantage of how a mirror can reflect your right side so it appears to be your left side.
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Clap Sensor: Build a Sound Sensor Using a Pico Cricket
Source Institutions
This activity requires a Pico Cricket (tiny computer). Learners work on designing and building a sound sensor out of household materials, like plastic wrap and cardboard.