Students explore the uses of optical fibers, are exposed to the principles of refraction and total internal reflection, solve problems relating to the design of fiber optic cables, and compare them to copper transmission lines.

Students explore light waves, refraction, and reflection. In this light lesson, students observe how light moves by using a flashlight. Students observe refraction and reflection.

Seeing is believing! Or is it? With this simple experiment, young scientists can explore the concept of visual perception. Attach Benham's disk to a rotating appliance such as a hand drill; As it spins, the black lines appear to be...

Students discover the relationship between lens shape and the formation of images in an experiment. They use three different size converging lenses and a diverging lens to calculate and compare the focal length of each. They graph and...

Eighth graders describe how light behaves when it strikes a surface. In this physics lesson, 8th graders investigate how the different types of mirrors reflect light. They work with their chosen group on a task they selected.

Young scholars research and discuss the roles of the eye and brain in the perception of color. They watch a slideshow and complete a worksheet.

Middle schoolers explore light and color, including how colors are mixed to produce new colors, how light is filtered, and how light is reflected off of surfaces. They read materials provided, complete worksheets, and complete hands-on...

Students examine rainbow components, spectral colors, colors perceived by the eye, hot solids, glowing rarefied gas, absorption, that light is a wave, and optics.

Students investigate the electromagnetic spectrum, focusing on visible light. They are introduced to the idea that all light travels as waves, and that wavelength defines the various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Students examine the eyeball and its parts.  In this sight lesson students divide into groups and complete a lab activity that includes creating a model.

Students explore a web-based illustrated text and interactive graphics to determine the relationship between the operation of telescopes and light. optics. They work in small groups to become an expert on one of the ten eras of telescope...

Students commonly ask question about vision and color perception which may be difficult to answer without taking. They use this module that contains a list of questions which often arise when biology students are studying the nervous...

Take a peep into optics. Pupils watch a video about a large Polaroid camera before building pinhole viewers. The scholars then create different types of viewers and compare them to determine which provides the best image.

In this lenses instructional activity, students will review refraction through lenses by reading pairs of statements and circling the correct ones. Then students will read 9 statements and indicate if the statement is referring to a...

Student groups rotate through four stations to examine light energy behavior: refraction, magnification, prisms and polarization. They see how a beam of light is refracted (bent) through various transparent mediums. Students investigate...

Students identify different wave types and their characteristics.  In this wave lesson students complete activities by activating tuning forks and interpreting data. 

In this comet tails and stars worksheet, students read about the star Mira and the vast clouds of gases it emits. They use a photograph from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer satellite to solve 5 problems about the scale of the image, the...

Students discuss the impact of certain inventions. In this technology lesson, students research Thomas Edison and the light bulb on the Internet and discuss how the invention impacted society. Students create their own simple inventions.

How can a hand puppet's shadow look like a dog? The lesson explains the science behind shadows, combining paint colors and the colors used in old televisions. Scholars use white, red, blue, and green lights to experiment with colors...

Our bodies have some amazing capabilities, but there are some limitations. Explore the limitations of the human eye through the eighth lab activity in a series of 12 biology lessons. Individuals measure their own peripheral vision...

Astronomy is literally over your head, but this lesson will explain how we study it. Young scientists make telescopes, calculate and compare the light gathering power of lenses, and simulate detection of infared radiation....

In this optics worksheet, students read about how light can reflect or refract and how lenses and mirrors work. Then students complete 13 matching, 27 fill in the blank, and 8 word problems.

In this optics worksheet, high schoolers read about refraction and reflection, lenses and mirrors, and objects and images. They answer 13 matching questions about light rays, light behavior and types of lenses. They also answer 9...

Students are introduced to the wave nature of light. In groups, they discuss Young's experiment and how diffraction and interference demonstrate the wave nature of light. Using examples, they show constructive and destructive...