Understanding Light
Understanding Light
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to give you a better understanding of what happens to light when it hits different materials. You will be involved in interactive web activities as well as hands-on experiments to help reinforce the concepts of reflection, absorption, transmission, scattering and refraction of light.
Created by: Barbara Orosz
Irvine Unified School District
Your Task:
You will need to complete at least 5 of the Light Activities listed below and record your results in your Lab Notebook. (Click on the highlighted words for directions.)
ACTIVITY 1: REFLECTION OF LIGHT
Reflection occurs when light or any other wave bounces off an object. REFLECTION enables you to see objects that don't produce their own light.
ACTIVITY 2: SCATTERING OF LIGHT
Scattering is the release of light energy by particles that have absorbed extra energy. Light from a flashlight is SCATTERED out of the beam by air particles. Translucent materials scatter light as it passes through.
ACTIVITY 3: ABSORPTION OF LIGHT
Absorption is the transfer of energy carried by light waves to particles in matter. You cannot see through OPAQUE objects because light cannot pass through them. Opaque materials reflect and/ or absorb all light waves.
ACTIVITY 4: TRANSMISSION OF LIGHT
Transmission of light is the passing of light through matter. The light that reaches your eyes is transmitted through air. TRANSPARENT materials allow light to pass through.
ACTIVITY 5: REFRACTION OF LIGHT
The bending of light due to a change in its speed is called REFRACTION. When light passes from air (less dense) to water (more dense) it slows down. Passing white light through a PRISM separates or refracts the light into different colors.
ACTIVITY 6: Primary Colors- Additive and Subtractive - from the Ontario, Science Centre, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Primary Colors:
Additive colors - are red, blue and green. - for color projection.
Computer displays, TV sets have these three pixel colours - (AKA Pixel elements)
Try mixing these colors (colours) Try mixing additive colours! - requires shockwave plugin from macromedia.com
Subtractive colors - are yellow, cyan - (light blue) and magenta (light purple)
Artists paint with subtractive colors. - for painting.
Try mixing these colors (colours) Try mixing subtractive colours! - requires shockwave plugin from macromedia.com
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES:
Create a WORDSEARCH or CROSSWORD PUZZLE to test your understanding of the new terms you learned.
Create a Power Point Presentation on light. (No more than 5 slides)
After you have written your results in your lab notebook, take the short Quiz about Light.
How did you do?
Congratulations!
Now you are ready for
A Few Internet Resources:
Sheppard's Science Resources
Sheppard's Useful Links
Email: borosz@iusd.org
Created August 22, 2003
Last Revised August 22, 2003
Teacher Notes
Suggested Grade Level: 7-8
California Content Standards: Science Grade 7
6f. Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction ), absorption, or scattering (including reflection).
6g. The angle of reflection of a light beam is equal to the angle of incidence.
Search the standards:
S.C.O.R.E. Lessons Standards Search by Grade and Subject
S.C.O.R.E. Standards and Framework
California Content Standards Grades K-12
California Content Standards Grades K-12 - Science - PDF Format
Background:
Students will need internet access, materials for light experiments, and a science notebook to record results and conclusions. This webquest is an introductory lesson to light properties.
Teacher note: Materials needed to complete this webquest include: internet access, flashlights, plane mirrors, protractors and an assortment of transparent, translucent and opaque materials.
Skills:
Computer literacy.
Interpreting data, making inferences, forming hypotheses, making predictions, graphing.
Effective use of Internet resources including searching and being able to recognize credible websites for sources of information.
Assessment:
Webquest quiz on light, results/conclusions from Webquest activities, student-generated puzzles on light and Power Point presentations.
Enrichment:
Presentations - PowerPoint or Hyperstudio, student created web page, and web-based activities.