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Exploring Materials: Nano Gold
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners discover that nanoparticles of gold can appear red, orange or even blue. They learn that a material can act differently when it’s nanometer-sized.
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Exploring Tools: Special Microscopes
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use a flexible magnet as a model for a scanning probe microscope (SPM). They learn that SPMs are an example of a special tool that scientists use to work on the nanoscale.
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Make a Prism
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners will make their own prism and use a glass of water to separate sunlight into different colors.
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Exploring Materials: Thin Films
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a colorful bookmark using a super thin layer of nail polish on water. Learners discover that a thin film creates iridescent, rainbow colors.
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Soap-Film Painting
Source Institutions
Make a big canvas of iridescent color with pvc pipe! In this Exploratorium Science Snack, you'll need to cut and assemble some PVC pipe, but the pay-off, the soap-bubble canvas, is big.
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Far-Out Corners
Source Institutions
Are there boxes, is this an illusion, or is this real life Q-bert? Illusions are always fun to build especially when you can build them.
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Soap Film on a Can
Source Institutions
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.
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See It to Believe It: Visual Discrimination
Source Institutions
In this activity (12th on the page), learners investigate their ability to discriminate (see) different colors.
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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.
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Invisible Sunblock
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners find out why some mineral sunblock rubs in clear. Learners compare nano and non-nano sunblocks and discover how particle size affects visibility.
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Mirror Reversal
Source Institutions
Challenge popular misconceptions, learners explore how a mirror actually reflects an image in this activity.
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Make a UV Detector
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use tonic water to detect ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun and explore the concept of fluorescence.
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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.
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Color Contrast
Source Institutions
Do you have a hard time matching paint swatches with your furniture? When you consider human perception, color is context dependent.
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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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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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Color Table: Color your perception
Source Institutions
Look at pictures through different color filters and you'll see them in a new way. People have used color filters in beautiful photography or sending secret messages.
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It's all Done with Mirrors
Source Institutions
This fun and simple hands-on astronomy activity illustrates the path of light as it reflects off of mirrors and how this is used in telescopes.
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Color Vision
Source Institutions
In this online activity, learners make a whole rainbow by mixing red, green, and blue light. They can change the wavelength of a monochromatic beam or they can filter white light.
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Nuclear Fusion
Source Institutions
This simple and engaging astronomy activity explains nuclear fusion and how radiation is generated by stars, using marshmallows as a model.