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Showing results 1 to 20 of 29
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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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Stretch the Chain and See the Light
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use their strength to light a light bulb. A chain made from paper clips is placed in series with a battery and flashlight bulb.
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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.
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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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Total Internal Reflection
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use a laser pointer, empty soda bottle, rubber plug and water to demonstrate total internal reflection.
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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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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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Currently Working
Source Institutions
Learners test solutions of water, sugar, salt, and hydrochloric acid for electrical conductivity. They immerse leads from a lighting device (a battery pack connected to an LED) into each solution.
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Transit Tracks
Source Institutions
In this space science activity, learners explore transits and the conditions when a transit may be seen.
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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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LEGO Orrery
Source Institutions
Use this model to demonstrate the goal of NASA's Kepler Mission: to find extrasolar planets through the transit method.
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Lager Lamp
Source Institutions
In this demonstration, adult learners create a lava lamp using beer and nuts! Use this pub-themed activity to demonstrate the effects of buoyancy and bubbles.
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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.