Students learn about intensity, polarization, frequency, refraction, diffraction, and reflection as they build an electric eye, optical cameras, reflector telescopes, compound microscopes, spectrometers, burglar alarms, optical light benches, battery-free radios, laser microscopes, laser shows, and so much more.

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Step 1. Click Here to download your copy of the Ultimate Science Curriculum Light Student Guidebook. To download the Parent/Teacher Guidebook, Click Here.

Step 2. Watch the videos that go with it below.

Lesson #1: Microwaving Soap

Overview: When you warm up leftovers, have you ever wondered why the microwave heats the food and not the plate? (Well, some plates, anyway.) It has to do with the way microwaves work. Microwaves generate high-energy electromagnetic waves that, when aimed at water molecules, make these molecules get super-excited and start bouncing around a lot. Which is why it’s dangerous to heat anything not containing water in your microwave, as there’s nowhere for that energy to go, since the electromagnetic radiation is tuned to excite water molecules.

What to Learn: Light you can see (visible light like a rainbow) makes up only a tiny bit of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Microwaves emit “microwaves” that are lower frequency, lower energy waves than visible light, but are higher energy, higher frequency than radio waves. The soap in this experiment will show you how a bar of Ivory soap contains air, and that air contains water vapor which will get heated by the microwave radiation and expand.

Materials

  • 3 Ivory soap bars
  • microwave (not a new or expensive one)
  • plate

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Lesson #2: Infrared Light

Overview: Infra-red light is in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that isn’t usually visible to human eyes, but using this nifty trick, you will easily be able to see the IR signal from your TV remote, remote-controller for an RC car, and more!

What to Learn: When you press the button on your remote control to your TV, you’re using infrared light (IR) to control your TV. Infrared light is invisible to our eyes. However, snakes can detect IR and see the redder hues that we can’t. Every warm body gives off light in the IR, so snakes use this to find mice in the cool night.

Materials
You will need these items:

  • remote control for TV or stereo
  • camera (video or still camera)

This is just a suggested list of objects. Feel free to find your own!

  • metal frying pan or cookie sheet
  • plastic sheet
  • plastic baggie
  • trash bag (white or black, or both)
  • wooden cutting board

Lesson #3: Ultraviolet Light

Overview: Stars, including our sun, produce all kinds of wavelengths of light, including UV (ultra-violet). That’s the wavelength that gives you sunburns. We’re going to find out the best way to protect you from the harmful rays.

What to Learn: The UV beads we’re going to use in our experiment are made from a chemical that reacts with light. It takes the UV light from the sun and then re-emits it in a different wavelength that’s visible to us.

Materials

· 5 UV beads (these change colors when exposed to the sun)
· tape (double-sided is easier)
· sun block
· sunglasses (ask the kids to bring a pair)
· sunny day
· water
· piece of fabric
· clear plastic bag

Lesson #4: Crystal Radio

Overview: Radio waves are a special type of electromagnetic waves that have low frequency and long wavelengths, and we use special equipment in order to “hear” them. A crystal radio is among the simplest of radio receivers, since there’s no battery or power source, and nearly no moving parts. The source of power comes directly from the radio waves themselves.

What to Learn: Low-frequency electromagnetic waves are called radio waves, which are not the same as sound waves. By using electromagnetism principles, we can convert the radio waves into sound waves you can hear.

Materials

· toilet paper tube
· popsicle stick
· small square of sandpaper
· magnet wire (Radio Shack part #278-1345)
· germanium diode: 1N34A (NWebTronics or try GSST)
· 4.7k-ohm resistor (Radio Shack part #271-1330)
· Alligator clip test leads (Radio Shack part #278-1157)
· 100’stranded insulated wire (for the antenna)
· scrap of cardboard
· brass fasteners (3-4)
· telephone handset OR get a crystal earphone from GSST
· wire strippers
· hot glue gun

Lesson #5: Polarization

Overview: This experiment uses a special filter to investigate the vibrating patterns of visible light to discover otherwise invisible stress fractures in objects.

What to Learn: Students will learn that light not only has a wavelength (which is also called frequency, or color) and intensity (brightness), but it also has a direction known as its polarization. Folks who spend a lot of time outdoors in the bright sun, like snow boarders and fishermen, use polarized lenses to “cut the glare” by reducing the light that gets reflected off water and ice.

Materials

· two pairs of polarized sunglasses
· tape (the 3/4″ glossy clear kind works best)
· window
· hard clear plastic objects, like disposable utensils, clear plastic cups, CD cases, etc.

Lesson #6: Spectrometers

Overview: Spectrometers (spectroscopes) are used in chemistry and astronomy to measure light. In astronomy, we can find out about distant stars without ever traveling to them, because we can split the incoming light from the stars into their colors (or energies) and “read” what they are made up of (what gases they are burning) and thus determine their what they are made of.

What to Learn: In this experiment, you’ll make a simple cardboard spectrometer that will be able to detect all kinds of interesting things!

SPECIAL NOTE: This instrument is NOT for looking at the Sun. Do NOT look directly at the Sun. But you can point the tube at a sheet of paper that has the Sun’s reflected light on it.
Materials:
Easy Spectrometer

· Old CD
· Razor
· Index card
· Cardboard tube at least 10 inches long
Advanced Spectrometer (Calibrated)

· Cardboard box (ours is 10″ x 5″ x 5″, but anything close to this will work fine)
· Diffraction grating
· 2 razor blades (with adult help)
· Masking tape
· Ruler
· Photocopy of a ruler (or sketch a line with 1 through 10 cm markings on it, about 4cm wide)

Lesson #7: Electric Eye

Overview: Photoresistors are very inexpensive light detectors, and you’ll find them in cameras, street lights, clock radios, robotics, and more. We’re going to play with one and find out how to detect light using a simple series circuit.

What to Learn: This is the first of many different burglar alarms we’re going to make with our simple circuits and switches knowledge. Pay special attention to how this gets inserted in your circuit. Notice any similarities to the switch circuit? We’re going to use the idea of wiring up components in series over the next couple of Burglar Alarm lessons.

Materials

  • AA battery case with batteries
  • one CdS cell
  • three alligator wires
  • LED
  • Optional: Laser pointer or flashlight (or both)
  • Optional: DMM (Digital Multimeter)

Lesson #8: Laser Burglar Alarm

Overview: This is a laser burglar alarm that will be able to turn on a buzzer by increasing the voltage in the circuit. This type of circuit is a light-actuated circuit. When a beam of light hits the sensor (the “eye”), a buzzer sounds. Use this to indicate when a door closes or drawer closes… your suspect will never know what got triggered.

What to Learn: For an object to be seen, light emitted by or scattered from it must enter the eye. In this case, we’ll be using a detector as the “eye” to see the laser beam.

Materials

· red laser
· 9V Battery
· three alligator clip leads
· buzzer (3-6V)
· cdS Cell

Lesson #9: Laser Microscope

Overview: Did you know that you can use a laser to see tiny paramecia in pond water? We’re going to build a simple laser microscope that will shine through a single drop of water and project shadows on a wall or ceiling for us to study.

Here’s how it works: By shining a laser though a drop of water, we can see the shadows of objects inside the water. It’s like playing shadow puppets, only we’re using a highly concentrated laser beam instead of a flashlight.

What to Learn: Light travels in straight lines except when the medium it travels through changes.

Materials

· red laser
· large paperclip
· rubber band
· stack of books
· white wall
· pond water sample (or make your own from a cup of water with dead grass that’s been sitting for a week on the windowsill)
· pliers

Lesson #10: Optical Bench

Overview: Mirrors and filters and lenses, oh my! In this lesson, we’ll learn a lot more about each of these items and how you can use them together to make an optical bench. An optical table gives you a solid surface to work on and nails down your parts so they don’t move. Scientists use optical benches when they design microscopes, telescopes, and other optical equipment. We’re going to make a quick and easy optical lab bench to work with your lenses. Well, technically our setup is called an optical rail, and the neat thing about it is that it comes with a handy measuring device so you can see where the focal points are for your lenses.

What to Learn: Lenses work to bend light in a certain direction, called refraction. Concave lenses work to make objects smaller and convex lenses make them larger. Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection).

Materials

  • lenses (glass or plastic - magnifying lenses work also)
  • two razor blades (new)
  • index cards (about four)
  • razor
  • old piece of wood
  • single hair from your head
  • tape
  • small binder clips
  • aluminum foil
  • clothespins (2-4)
  • laser pointer
  • popsicle sticks (tongue-depressor size)
  • hot glue gun
  • scissors and a sharp razor
  • meter sticks (2)
  • large candle (with adult supervision)
  • bright light source (ideas for this are on the video)

Lesson #11: Refractor and Reflector Telescopes

Overview: Telescopes aren’t nearly as complicated as they seem. We’re going to build two different kinds of telescopes: the refractor (which has only lenses) and the reflector (which has lenses and mirrors) telescopes.

What to Learn: Your lenses are curved pieces of glass or plastic designed to bend (refract) light. A simple lens is just one piece, and a compound lens is when you stack two or more together, like inside a camera. You can arrange your lenses in different ways to get different types of magnification.

Do not use this telescope to look at the Sun! This telescope is for looking at the moon, distant terrestrial objects, and flashlights with their light intensity stepped down and passed through a wax filter.
Materials

· index card
· 3 clothespins
· popsicle sticks
· 2 meter sticks
· bright light source
· two double-convex lenses
· concave mirror
· small flat mirror (like a mosaic mirror)
· large paper clip
· black garbage bag
· rubber band
· wax paper
· masking tape
· hot glue gun
· scissors

Lesson #12: Measuring Your Hair

Overview: Do you have thick or thin hair? Let’s find out using a laser to measure the width of your hair and a little knowledge about diffraction properties of light. (Since were using lasers, make sure you’re not pointing a laser at anyone, any animal, or at a reflective surface.)

Materials:

  • a strand of hair
  • laser pointer
  • tape
  • calculator
  • ruler
  • paper
  • clothespin

Lesson #13: Laser Maze

Overview: Did you know that the word LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation? Most lasers fire a monochromatic (one color) narrow, focused beam of light, but more complex lasers emit a broad range of wavelengths at the same time. By using lenses and mirrors, you can bounce, shift, reflect, shatter, and split a laser beam. Since the laser beam is so narrow and focused, you’ll be able to see several reflections before it fades away from scatter. What to Learn: Light has a source and travels in a direction. The angle of reflection of a light beam is equal to the angle of incidence. Materials · laser (A key-chain laser works great. Do NOT use green lasers, which can only be used outdoors.) · large paper clips · brass fasteners · index cards · small mirrors (mosaic-type work well) · hot glue gun (optional) · tape · dry ice (optional)

Lesson #14: Laser Light Show

Overview: What happens when you shine a laser beam onto a spinning mirror? In the Laser Maze experiment (#30), the mirrors stayed put. What happens if you took one of those mirrors and moved it really fast?

What to Learn: Light is reflected from mirrors and other surfaces.

Materials (per lab group)

· AA battery pack with AA batteries
· 1.5-3V DC motor
· keychain laser pointer
· clothespin
· round mirror
· two alligator clip leads
· gear that fits onto the motor and has a flat side to attach to the mirror
· 5-minute epoxy (don’t use hot glue – it’s not strong enough and you’ll have sharp mirrors flying off a high-speed motor)

Want More Science Activities?

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These videos are samples from my online eScience Learning program. Its a complete science program for K-12. Plus, its self-guiding, so they can do it on their own.

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Thank You!

Thanks for the privilege as serving as your coach and guide in your science journey. May these videos bring you much excitement and curiosity in your learning adventure!

~Aurora

Supercharged Science

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