Background Information for Teachers

You may be aware that light exhibits both wave properties and discrete particle properties. The resources in this section explore and explain what is meant by these properties. It then is easier to understand why, in the context of most familiar optical devices, we can conceptualize light as rays.

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Science, Optics, and You http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/index.html

Magnet Lab scientists developed this curriculum package for teachers, students, and parents. The activities are designed to promote asking and answering questions related to light, color, and optics. The program begins with basic information about lenses, shadows, prisms, and color, leading up to the sophisticated instruments scientists use. The contents page links to optics history, teacher resources, background information, and interactive tutorials. MSP full record

Newton's Prism Experiments http://www.geocities.com/lewiston_stargazer/newton.htm

This site provides detailed instructions for re-creating Newton's ingenious experiments with light. You can observe what Newton did and in turn understand his inferences and conclusions. You may choose to demonstrate this re-creation as a hook and pre-assessment in introducing the study of light and optics. Students can observe the interaction of the light then interpret their observations. What can they infer regarding light? What is their evidence? Their subsequent study will allow them to discover whether their original inferences are on target and whether their inferences are logically related to their evidence. MSP full record

The Michelson-Morley Experiment http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/michelson.html

This lecture describes in comprehensible detail the historic experiment that showed that light has wave properties and that no aether exists. Up to that point, aether was thought to be the medium of waves. The lecture is also available in French and Spanish. A Flashlet simulation of the experiment is included. MSP full record

Light: Particle or Wave? http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/lightandcolor/particleorwave.html

This is a detailed explanation of the dual nature of light, complete with clear, labeled line drawings and interactive tutorials. MSP full record

Lenses and Geometrical Optics http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/rdg/lenses/lenses.shtml

This reading provides illustrations and explains the different kinds of lenses and their effects on light, the concept of focal length, and the difference between real and virtual objects. MSP full record

Science 101: How Do Microscopes Work? http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/4/sc04_041_04_17

This NSTA journal article explains how microscopes work and how they enhance the scientific process. Available online to NSTA members at no cost; nonmembers must pay $4.99. MSP full record

Light and Optics http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/mod/light/pattLightOptics.html

In this module, students explore how light reflects and refracts; how lenses and mirrors can play tricks on nature; how color allows us to create masterpieces of art; and how nature creates her own masterpieces of light. MSP full record

The Science of Light: Fun House Mirrors http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/science/light/lawslight/funhouse/funhousebackground.html

This page briefly describes and illustrates the laws of reflection. It includes a short section on pedagogy, relates the content to standards, and links to some Exploratorium activities. MSP full record

Teacher's Guide to the Infrared http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/ir_zoo/lessons/background.html

This is a page from a larger web site called Seeing Our World in a Different Light and sponsored in part by NASA. It contains side-by-side standard and infrared photos to illustrate how infrared photos show heat. It describes and compares visible light and infrared light. An explanation, accompanied by photos, of how infrared cameras work is also provided. MSP full record

Seeing Our World in a Different Light http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/light_lessons/our_world_different_light/

The aim of the Cool Cosmos portal, part of NASA’s outreach program, is to explain infrared astronomy to students and the public at large. At this web site, you’ll find classroom activities where students perform a version of the experiment in which astronomer Sir Frederick William Herschel discovered infrared light or the experiment in which Johann Wilhelm Ritter first discovered ultraviolet light. Tutorials about multiwavelength astronomy include an image gallery that shows celestial objects observed in different wavelengths and also explains the benefits of each wavelength. Be sure to peruse the Paper Products page, where you can download images. MSP full record

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Copyright October 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.