CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Diamond Cut
[Free Registration/Login Required] A simulation investigating why a diamond shines by looking at refraction, reflection, and total internal reflection.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: How to Make an Aircraft Invisible to Radar
In this engineering science fair project, students will determine which 3-D geometric shapes scatter light the most. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction,...
University of New South Wales (Australia)
University of New South Wales: School of Physics: Physclips: Geometrical Optics
Physiclips thoroughly presents geometrical optics concepts like rays, refraction, Snell's law, total internal reflection, dispersion, mirrors, and lenses with animations and film clips.
University of Colorado
University of Colorado: Ph Et Interactive Simulations: Bending Light
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.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Testing a Parabolic Reflector With Light From an Led
You can see examples of parabolic reflectors in flashlights, car headlights, satellite TV antennas, and even on the sidelines at football games. In this project, you can use an LED and a simple photodector to investigate this concept.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Translucent, Transparent, Opaque Oh My!!
Can you block the beam of light? Students will investigate what happens to light beams when you put objects in its way. These tests will allow them to learn new vocabulary (translucent, transparent, opaque) and discover how these terms...
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: Play With Color and Light
See what happens when you mix different colors of lights.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign: Light and Optics
Rainbows and sunsets are called "atmospheric optics". They can be caused by light being absorbed, reflected, scattered, refracted, or diffracted by particles in the atmosphere. Learn all about different atmospheric optics along with...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Bending Light
In this physics lab students will observe light bending as it enters a medium. Students will then be able to calculate the angle of the bent light and compare that with other students observations for like and different mediums.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Helping Students Discover Total Internal Reflection
After students have learned the basic relationship of Snell's Law, they practice applying it to a situation. Then they are given another situation where it doesn't work, which turns out to be one in which total internal reflection occurs.
My Science Site
B J Mst: Behaviour of Light
This resource explores light reflection and refraction by providing colorful illustrations and examples.
South Carolina Educational Television
Etv: Nasa Online: Light: Scattering Light
An introduction to the concept of the visible light spectrum provided in an animated format.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Blue Sky
Through this science demonstration, students discover why the sky is blue, and the why sunset is red.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Glue Stick Sunset
A demonstration exploring light scattering to show why the sky is blue and sunsets are red.
Famous Scientists
Famous Scientists: C. V. Raman
Learn about the Indian physicist who carried out ground-breaking work in the field of light scattering which earned him the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Blue Skies and Red Sunsets
This high school resource shows how the blue of the skies and the red of the sunsets can be explained by the interaction of sunlight with atmospheric particles which causes scattering of light.
Utah Education Network
Uen: I'll Build You a Rainbow
In these three activities, students explore the colors of the spectrum in white light.
Other
The Disgustoscope
This is a resource to teach optics, while building a modified kaleidoscope that will provide 3-dimensional images.
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Practice Problems: Image From Converging Lens 1
In this program you are to find the location and height of an image that is created by a converging lens.
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Practice Problems: Scattering Cross Section
Determine the size of a hidden object based on the number of pucks that scatter off of the object.
Physics Aviary
Physics Aviary: Practice Problems: Image From Diverging Lens
Determine the height and location of the image formed by a diverging lens.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Reflection and Mirrors: Optics Bench Interactive
Find out about the physics behind those fun-house mirrors. Students manipulate a virtual optics bench to explore the images formed by mirrors and lenses.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Light Waves/color: Absorption, Reflection, Transmission
In this physics classroom, students learn how and why light of certain frequencies can be selectively absorbed, reflected or transmitted.