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Showing results 1 to 20 of 70
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Soap Bubble Shapes
Source Institutions
Learners explore three-dimensional geometric frames including cubes and tetrahedrons, as they create bubble wands with pipe cleaners and drinking straws.
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CD Spinner
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a simple “top” from a CD, marble and bottle cap, and use it as a spinning platform for a variety of illusion-generating patterns.
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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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Our Sense of Sight: Color Vision
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In this activity, learners investigate color vision as well as plan and conduct their own experiments.
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Mirrors and Images
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners explore how many objects they can see in a set of mirrors (hinged like a book) at various angles.
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Morphing Butterfly
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners explore how nanosized structures can create brilliant color.
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Earth's Energy Cycle: Albedo
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners experiment and observe how the color of materials that cover the Earth affects the amounts of sunlight our planet absorbs.
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Cylindrical Mirror
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners create a cylindrical mirror to see themselves as others see them.
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Iridescent Art
Source Institutions
This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Butterfly Wings Activity) that illustrates how nanoscale structures, so small they're practically invisible, can produce visible/colorful effects.
Polarized Light
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners experiment with polarizers (small dark rectangles) to examine light intensity.
Mix and Match
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners explore color by examining color dots through colored water and the light of a flashlight.
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Look Into Infinity
Source Institutions
Learners use two mirrors to explore how images of images of images can repeat forever.
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Angles of Reflection
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners work in pairs to explore how mirrors work. Learners use tape to mark the angles needed to see each other's reflection in a wall mirror.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/square_100/public/resource_images/smile-000-000-003-143.jpg?itok=Tx4Pip5_)
Does Sunscreen Protect My DNA?
Source Institutions
In this laboratory experiment, learners explore how effectively different sunscreens protect yeast cells from damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
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Beam Me Up!
Source Institutions
This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Stained Glass Activity) about the "Tyndall effect," the scattering of visible light when it hits very small dispersed particles.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/square_100/public/resource_images/smile-000-000-004-498.jpg?itok=XfwT9bP_)
Critical Angle
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners examine how a transparent material such as glass or water can actually reflect light better than any mirror.
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Stereoscope
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In this activity, learners construct a device that allows them to view 2-D images in 3-D.
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Kaleidoscope
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build inexpensive kaleidoscopes using transparency paper and foil (instead of mirrors).
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Soap-Film Interference Model: Get on our wavelength!
Source Institutions
By making models of light waves with paper, learners can understand why different colors appear in bubbles.
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Lose a Glass in a Glass
Source Institutions
In this optics activity, learners use paint thinner to make a small jar seem to disappear inside a larger jar.