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...

For most westerners, and indeed for many Arabs, the spectacular achievements of Arabic language science from the eighth through the 16th centuries come as a startling discovery, as if an unknown continent had suddenly appeared on the...

A display of crystals of nanocrystals allows students to study the inner structure and components of these structures. Being able to precisely control the shape and size of nanocrystals and understand their self-assembly process might...

This lesson explores the impact of volcanic eruptions on the atmosphere. Students will analyze three types of visual information: a graph of aerosol optical depth v. global temperature, a global map with temperature anomalies, and an ash...

Theodore Maiman built the world's first operable laser. Ironically, Maiman's first paper announcing this momentous achievement, which many other scientists had been racing to complete themselves, was rejected. Since then, however, lasers...

Swiss physicist Heinrich Rohrer co-invented the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), a non-optical instrument that allows the observation of individual atoms in three dimensions, with Gerd Binnig. The achievement garnered the pair half...

Students learn how engineers navigate satellites in orbit around the Earth and on their way to other planets in the solar system. In accompanying activities, they explore how ground-based tracking and onboard measurements are performed....

This is a resource to teach optics, while building a modified kaleidoscope that will provide 3-dimensional images.

Read about the life of Isaac Newton and his many accomplishments in physics, mathematics, optics, and religious study, and how his discoveries helped in space research.

All waves will reflect and refract in the right circumstances. The reflection and refraction of light explain how people see images, color and even optical illusions. This tutorial discusses each concept and presents an experiment to try...

Punctate keratitis is an eye disease that results in abrasions on the epithelial cornea. One of the leading causes of the disease is the overuse of contact lenses. A research team is investigating the optical properties of four new types...

Determine the location of the image in this interactive simulation of a lens and mirror optics bench. Both converging and diverging lenses and mirrors are included.

This site from Fordham University links to excerpts of Newton's major works. Please scroll down to find the section on Newton titled "The Creation of Classical Physics." You will be able to actually read some of Newton's work! Read...

An extensive introduction to the career of optician, with information on the nature of the work, working conditions, employment qualifications, job outlook, and earnings.

This video explores the spacial property of chirality and how it relates to molecules and the everyday world. Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore. [5:05]

Physicist as a career is a very broad spectrum. This site from Science Buddies relates the general requirements and education needed to be a physicist and lists the many sub-fields in which physicists can specialize. Included is a video...

The Study Skills Help Page provides learning strategies for success. Explore the learning tools and tips that you can use to become a more skilled learner.

Access hundreds of teacher-tested, practical physics lessons on this well-organized, illustrated site. Find just the right demonstration, attention-grabber, or lab for any physics teaching objective at your fingertips.

Beautiful, almost unrealistic, dance photography by Lois Greenfield. Her black and white prints are phenomenal! Lois reveals her secrets and techniques.

Manipulate variables and measure angles as light is refracted in this interactive simulation.

Light! How do we see? What makes light? Find out everything you need to know through the Q&As on this site.

Explore bending of light between two media with different indices of refraction. See how changing from air to water to glass changes the bending angle. Play with prisms of different shapes and make rainbows.

Try one of these 33 perception activities in your classroom.

Young scholars learn about the basic properties of light and how light interacts with objects. They are introduced to the additive and subtractive color systems, and the phenomena of refraction. Students further explore the differences...