National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Understanding Wave Motion - Slinky vs. Snaky: Which Spring is Dominant?
Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...
Curated OER
How to verify the relationship between the wavelength and frequency of light
Students collaborate in heterogeneous groups with each student having a different role. They comprehend the relationship between the frequency and wavelength of light. They record their observations in a table that is included on this...
Curated OER
Now You See Me, Now You Don't
Bioluminescence fascinates most upper elementary scientists. Display images of different glowing deep-sea organisms and discuss their environment. Young biologists then experiment with images and different colors of filtered light. In...
Curated OER
Sound Waves
Using a karaoke machine, a guitar, and other devices, learners explore the way sound waves travel. Using this hands on approach, learners can get a better understanding of wavelength, frequency, and more.
Curated OER
The Sun's Energy
Sixth graders examine how the sun's energy arrives as light with a range of wavelengths. They discuss the characteristics of light, examine the color of light using a spectroscope, and conduct an experiment using water and thermometers....
Exploratorium
Blue Sky
Use a container full of water as a prism and show that as light is bent, the individual colors from different wavelengths become visible. This explains why the sky appears to be blue midday, and why as the sun nears the horizon, it looks...
University of Texas
Multi-wavelength Astronomy
Explore a land far, far away with a well-designed lesson that examines electromagnetic imaging as a way to obtain information about galactic structures. Learners begin to see the importance of looking beyond the visual spectrum to reveal...
Curated OER
Obtain a visible spectra of chlorophyll a
Students become familiar with the concept of spectroscopy or the study of the interaction of matter with electromagnetic radiation. They prepare solutions and measure absorbance at different wavelengths. Pupils comprehend that mater and...
Curated OER
Wave Properties
Use this slideshow to explain waves. Energy travelling in waves and its behavior in different materials are explained. The diagrams and equations will assist your students in defining wave type and explaining the differences between...
Colorado State University
Why Is the Sky Purple?
The color of the sky depends on the time of day. Young scholars experiment with scattering different wavelengths of light to recreate the color of the sky. They observe both the longer blue wavelengths and the shorter red and orange...
Curated OER
Color, Light, and Excited Electrons
Investigate color, light and excited electrons and produce waves using slinkys. Your high schoolers will observe a continuous spectrum with a prism and an overhead projector. They observe flame tests to identify elements and they observe...
Curated OER
Measuring Star Temperatures
For this measuring star temperatures, students find the temperature of a star using Planck's curve and the Wein Displacement law. Students also find the peak wavelengths for given stars using Planck's curve.
Curated OER
Waves
In this waves instructional activity, high schoolers read about harmonic and linear motion in waves as well as the two types of waves. They match 5 terms to their definitions about the structure of waves, they solve for the wavelength,...
Curated OER
Waves
In this waves worksheet, students read about the different types of waves and how the speed of waves is calculated. Then students complete 5 matching, 8 fill in the blank, and 9 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Find The Other Half
In this science worksheet, students interpret the graphs for the information that is related to measuring the different wavelengths for light or sound.
Curated OER
The Energy of Light
Students discuss different ways engineers use light. In this engineering lesson, students are introduced to the properties of light and the way light is used. They view a demonstration of light waves using a slinky, and practice using...
Curated OER
The Color Spectrum: How Does it Work?
Create models of the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Working in small groups, your class can investigate metric conversions calculations. They will find the length of the waves in nanometers,...
PBS
Electromagnetic Spectrum | UNC-TV Science
Illuminate lightwaves, even those not visible to the human eye, in a concise activity about the electromagnetic spectrum. Pupils watch and listen to an animated video describing the electromagnetic spectrum as well as frequency and...
Curated OER
Why Are Hot Things Red?
In this radiation and temperature worksheet, students use 2 methods to derive the Wein Displacement law that shows the relationship between the temperature of a body to the frequency where the Planck curve's value is at its maximum....
Curated OER
Can You Carry a Tune in a Bucket?
Young scholars use water filled pipes to play a tune and consider the mathematics behind the sound waves. In this sound wave lesson, students play a tune with water filled pipes. They create a mathematical model to evaluate the...
Curated OER
Calculating Wave Speed
In this wave speed worksheet, students will learn how to calculate the speed of waves by dividing the wavelength by the period. Students will then calculate wave speed for 7 different examples.
Curated OER
WAVES AND PHOTONS
Students examine the many types of electromagnetic waves, the concept of an EM wave, how James Clerk Maxwell proposed a slight modification of the equations of electricity, Heinrich Hertz and his radio-frequency, wavelengths, and light...
Curated OER
Worksheet 4-1 Atomic Spectra
In this atomic spectra worksheet, students answer eighteen questions about wavelengths of light, the emission spectrum, energy of photons, the frequency of electromagnetic radiation and electrons in the excited state.
Curated OER
Periodic Motion - The Pendulum
Students experiment to determine the period of a pendulum. In this periodic motion instructional activity, students use different pendulums to determine their periods. They use various amplitudes to determine its effects on the period.