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Showing results 1 to 20 of 21
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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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Release the Rainbow
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a water prism to break light into the seven colors of the rainbow.
Triboluminescence
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners discover what happens when they crush wintergreen-flavored candies in a very dark room.
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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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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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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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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.
Gelatin Optic Fibers
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners make optical fibers out of strips of gelatin.
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Light as Air
Source Institutions
In this physics activity (page 6 of the PDF), learners will demonstrate air has weight by comparing an inflated balloon to a deflated one.
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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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Solar Energy
Source Institutions
In this activity (page 11 of PDF), learners compare the air pressure within a dark and a light bottle both heated by the sun, and discover that solar energy can be collected and stored in many ways
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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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Bubble Suspension
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners observe as soap bubbles float on a cushion of carbon dioxide gas. Learners blow bubbles into an aquarium filled with a slab of dry ice.
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Diet Light
Source Institutions
In this quick activity, learners observe how the added sugar in a can of soda affects its density and thus, its ability to float in water.
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Can You "See" Thermal Radiation?
Source Institutions
Use this hands-on activity to demonstrate infrared and thermal radiation.
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Light of the Moon
Source Institutions
Learners model the Sun-Earth-Moon system to show what causes the Moon's appearance to change when viewed from the Earth.
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Erupting Fizz
Source Institutions
This is a highly visual demonstration that illustrates both the effects of density and chemical reactions.