Exploratorium
Cylindrical Mirror
Using flexible mirror-like paper, physical scientists experiment with images produced by curving it and looking into its reflective surface. They find that concave mirrors cause reflected light waves to cross and actually flip the image...
Exploratorium
Parabolas
A parabolic mirror toy demonstrates how concave mirrors objects reflect light and produce a realistic image at their focal point. This resource probably doesn't explain any more than the printed insert that accompanies such an apparatus...
Exploratorium
Hot Spot
Not only does a concave mirror focus light waves, it can also concentrate infrared radiation into a hot spot. If you have a small electric heater and such a mirror, demonstrate this for your physical science class.
Exploratorium
Touch the Spring
Concave mirrors and the images they produce are traditional topics in the physics classroom. This resource explains how to set up an investigation of them, and it provides you with the explanation of concepts.
Exploratorium
Pupil
Give pupils a magnifier, a mirror, and a flashlight so that they can examine their own pupils. As they shine a light on their eyes, the light is shone on how this structure dilates and contracts to control how much is allowed into the...
Exploratorium
Polarized Sunglasses
Reflected waves of light move within a plane, and because of this, polarizing materials can reduce the glare our eyes see. This resource explains how to set up a demonstration of this effect. Consider it for use in your physical science...
Chandler Unified School District
Art Masterpiece—Leonardo da Vinci Inventions
After getting to know the inventor, Leonardo da Vinci and his many inventions, scholars think up their own invention. Following a written description and a hand-drawn picture, learners use a method of mirror writing and antiquing to give...
Exploratorium
Corner Reflector
If you set up a triad of mirrors into a corner figuration, they act as a kaleidoscope, bouncing light waves back and forth indefinitely, changing the light that your eyes perceive. Although the materials required are very specific and...
Exploratorium
Whirling Watcher
Pupils put together their own stroboscopes so that they can observe how cyclically moving images appear to merge into a singular object. This, and several other activities published by the same source, illuminate the way the brain...
Exploratorium
Vocal Visualizer
Make sound visible with an activity that provides directions for how to build a vocal visualizer meant to create light patterns. Making noise into the visualizer causes a mirror to vibrate, reflecting a laser beam, and creating...
Exploratorium
Cheshire Cat
Divide your field of vision in two and see what happens when your two eyes behold two different scenes! This is a way to demonstrate to body-systems buffs how the two eyes usually blend pictures to create a three-dimensional view. This...
International Technology Education Association
Dampen That Drift!
The spacecraft is drifting too far off course! Two games help explain how a spacecraft can use its thrusters to maintain its position. The games have pupils be the components of vectors in order to create and counteract the...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Study Chirality With a Homemade Polarimeter
Some molecules can be either left- or right-"handed." The left- and right-handed molecules have the same number and type of atoms, and their chemical structures look identical, but they are actually mirror images of each other. Many...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Corner Reflector
By creating a kaleidoscope using a set of hinged mirrors students can see themselves as others do! This activity uses mirrors to create multiple images of an object.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Duck Into Kaleidoscope
Create hundreds of images of yourself in this activity by making a mirrored kaleidoscope.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Giant Lens
In this activity, students create an image that hangs in midair by using a lens.
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Mirror, Mirror
Try this at-home science experiment that shows how your brain works with what you see.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Parabolas
Recreate this optical illusion using two parabolic mirrors to make it appear like an object is in the center, when it is really just its image. This experiment requires special equipment which may need to be purchased.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Look Into Infinity
In this activity students will create images of images of images that can repeat forever. Students will recreate this effect by setting up two acrylic plastic mirrors.
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Mirrors and Images
An experiment to investigate how many images appear as the angle between two hinged mirrors is increased. Accompanied by an explanation of what is happening, questions for students to consider, and a link to an article about reflection.
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Mirror, Mirror
In this tutorial, Bill Nye uses a mirror to help the learner understand how our brain processes images.