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CD Spectroscope
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use an old CD to construct a spectroscope, a device that separates light into its component colors.

Reflecting Rainbows: Decorate Your White Walls With Rainbow Colors!
Source Institutions
Like water drops in falling rain, a CD separates white light into all the colors that make it up.

Water Illusions: Refraction & Magnification
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Learners demonstrate how water can distort, refract and magnify light.

What is Nanotechnology?
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In this activity related to nanotechnology, learners observe some of the effects that result from creating a thin layer of material several nanometers thick.

The Liquid Rainbow
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Learners are challenged to discover the relative densities of colored liquids to create a rainbow pattern in a test tube.

Make a Prism
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In this activity, learners will make their own prism and use a glass of water to separate sunlight into different colors.
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.

Soap Film on a Can
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The beautiful iridescent colors of a bubble in a can! With this Exploratorium Science Snack, create beautiful soap films on the open end of a can to see beautiful rainbows of color.

Density Rainbow and the Great Viscosity Race
Learners conduct two activities to investigate two properties of liquids: density and viscosity. In a clear container, learners stack 7 different liquids which will layer according to their density.

Camera Projector
Source Institutions
In this activity (posted on March 14, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a camera projector to explore lenses and refraction.
Splitting White Light
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners split white light into all its component colors using three household items: a compact disc, dishwashing liquid, and a hose (outside).

Rainbow in the Room
Source Institutions
This activity generates learner excitement about light through the creation of a room-sized rainbow.

Light and Sound
Source Institutions
In this four-part activity, learners explore light and sound through a variety of hands-on investigations.

Density Rainbow
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In this activity, learners mix several sugar solutions to investigate the property of density. Each sugar solution has a different density and color of the rainbow.

Rainbow Refraction
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners will explore how light can refract or break apart into different colors.
Why is the Sky Blue?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a "mini sky" in a glass of water in a dark room.

Density Rainbows
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners explore the concept of density by pouring 5 different liquids into a jar. Food coloring is added if needed to give each liquid a distinct color.

On the Fringe (formerly Bridge Light)
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners trap a thin layer of air between two pieces of Plexiglas to produce rainbow-colored interference patterns.

Colored Shadows
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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.