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...
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: Ology: See the Light
Reflection, refraction, and the colors that make up white light is explored through lab activities after reading a brief background about light energy.
South Carolina Educational Television
Know It All Media: Light and Color
Why do we see certain colors? This interactive animation demonstrates the concept of the visible spectrum, and how we see the different colors of the rainbow.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Reflectivity of Light
In this activity, students can use a Light Sensor to measure reflection values from paper of various colors and compare these values to reflection values of aluminum foil. They will also calculate percent reflectivity.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Energy of Light
In this introduction to light energy, students learn about reflection and refraction as they learn that light travels in wave form. Through hands-on activities, they see how prisms, magnifying glasses and polarized lenses work. They also...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Bubbularium
What colors do you see in a bubble? Why do you see colors in a bubble? Use this site to find out the answer to these questions with this easy experiment.
NumberNut
Number Nut: Light and Colors
Discover the relationship between light and colors in this brief lesson. Links to related color identification activities, Color Memory Challenge and Identifying Colors Quiz. Immediate feedback given to responses that includes...
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Make a Green Gumball Black
An experiment to investigate what colors are seen when light is absorbed or reflected by colored gumballs. With links to scientific, academic articles that explain what is happening.
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: About Rainbows
This site from the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research provides an illustrated article about the phenomenon of rainbows.
Other
The Rad Rider Web Site: Homepage
Use this site to meet the comic book superhero, Rad Rider. Read and listen to his comic book adventure to learn important bike safety tips. Then take the online quiz to see if you're ready to bike with Rad.