Learn about the harmful effects on humans of ultraviolet radiation caused by the depletion of the ozone layer.

Illustrated examples and practice problems included in this tutorial help students discover how light rays react in multiple mirror systems.

This article from Khan Academy provides information about refraction and light bending. This information is intended for the Class 12 Physics Course (India).

In order to understand refraction, students will explore the factors that affect the speed at which a light wave is transported through a medium.

Investigate the behavior of a water filled vial, and discover why it acts like a magnifier. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what causes light rays to change direction.

Several pages with an interesting discussion of the visible light spectrum and atomic absorption and emission line spectrum. Features excellent graphics, thorough and understandable discussion, and many interactive Java applets.

Students use simple materials to design an open spectrograph so they can calculate the angle light is bent when it passes through a holographic diffraction grating. A holographic diffraction grating acts like a prism, showing the visual...

Students learn how using a spectrograph helps us understand the composition of light sources. Using simple materials and holographic diffraction gratings (available online at a variety of sites, including Edmund Scientifics and the...

Watch PEEP and Quack [8:49] have fun with shadows in the middle of the night using flashlights. They learn that shadows can grow and change shape by rotating the object. An additional hands-on activity is provided for learners along with...

Students investigate the properties of visible light and the sequence of colors in the spectrum using light shone through water and prisms. The lesson and accompanying slideshow can both be downloaded.

Students find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a...

A discussion of Christian Huygens' contribution to wave optics, and particularly to our understanding of the reflection and refraction of light. Excellent diagrams and a geometric proof on why the law of reflection is mathematically...

This site from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration provides information on the subject. "An infrared camera sees heat, rather than light. Can you match up the face in the infrared image with the same face in visible light?"

In this physics tutorial, focus on the refraction of light in great detail. Explore the conceptual and mathematical principles governing the bending of waves as they cross the boundary between two media.

In this interactive physics tutorial about refraction, students investigate the topic of the direction of bending of a light wave.

Students learn how the Archer fish can reach out of the water and catch its prey with pinpoint accuracy, despite the physics that causes refraction of light.

Focusing on the question, "By how much does light refract when it crosses a boundary?" this physics tutorial will allow students the opportunity to explore these concepts of refraction.

Through illustrated examples, students explore the physics phenomenon of total internal reflection when light travels through several medium boundaries.

An interactive PowerPoint will be used to introduce the electromagnetic spectrum. Students use UV beads to observe changes caused by the sun's rays and evaluate sunscreen effectiveness. Harmful effects of UV exposure will be described...

Site provides a diagram as well as a scientific explanation of light reflection. Includes links to ray optics, light and physics.

This site provides a short explanation of light, how it travels, and the speed in which it travels. Many other concepts related to optics can be found on this site as well.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Students explain the ray model of light, describe the law of reflection, and investigate how images are formed from flat mirrors.

A four-lesson tutorial on the reflection and the ray model of light. These complete tutorials include informational text, interactive activities, animations, and quick, interactive comprehension questions.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart introduces fifth grade students to the electromagnetic spectrum and focuses on the visible light spectrum, but all types of energy waves in the electromagnetic spectrum are touched on. It...