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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Color Spectrum Chart With Frequencies and Wavelengths

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the visible light spectrum and learn the frequencies and wavelengths for each of the primary and secondary colors.
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Activity
Utah Education Network

Uen: I'll Build You a Rainbow

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In these three activities, students explore the colors of the spectrum in white light.
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Light Wave

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Are there colors we don't see? This simulation addresses that question by exploring light as an electromagnetic wave. Learn how the electromagnetic wave relates its wavelength and frequency to the...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Chemistry Simulation: Neon Lights

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Neon lights are a type of discharge tube. Observe how electrons create colored light in a hydrogen gas discharge tube. Can you figure out why hydrogen's emission spectrum contains more than one color of...
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Interactive
Physics Aviary

Physics Aviary: Em Spectrum Lab

For Students 9th - 10th
This lab is designed to allow students to look at the factors affecting the location of different colors formed by diffraction grating.
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Energy of Light

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Absorption of Radiant Energy by Different Colors

For Students 6th - 8th
In this science fair project, use an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of differently colored paper exposed to sunlight, and calculate energy emission using the Stefan-Boltzmann equation. Find discussion questions, a list...
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Handout
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Color

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Georgia State University discusses the location of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes the wavelength values for various colors of light within the visible light spectrum.
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Rgb to Hex Conversion

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students practice converting between RGB and hexadecimal (hex) formats. They learn about mixing primary colors in order to get the full spectrum of colors and how to average pixel values.
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Unit Plan
University of Colorado

University of Colorado: Physics 2000: Temperature and Absolute Zero

For Students 9th - 10th
A thorough, multipage discussion of color and color television sets that explains how an image is formed on the television using red, green, and blue light. Understandable discussion, excellent graphics, and many interactive Java applets.
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Handout
Science4Fun

Science4 Fun: Light

For Students K - 1st
What is light? Illustrated discussion of the speed of light, how we see colors, and how light helps us.
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Activity
Optical Society

Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Release the Rainbow

For Students 3rd - 5th
A simple activity to demonstrate how light separates into colors when it passes through water acting as a prism.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: Why Is the Sky Blue?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students will learn about refraction and the scattering of sunlight as it enters the atmosphere, which causes the colors in light to separate, giving us blue skies and colorful sunrises and sunsets.
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Unit Plan
NumberNut

Number Nut: Light and Colors

For Students Pre-K - 1st
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...
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Website
NumberNut

Number Nut: Basic Topics: Shapes, Symbols, and Colors: Colors

For Students 3rd - 8th
A short explanation of how we see color and what each of the primary and secondary colors symbolize.
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Unit Plan
NASA

Nasa: The Space Place: Why Is the Sky Blue?

For Students 5th - 8th
Learn about colors of light by exploring how prisms work. Discover the different colors of the spectrum and how the visible light is what we see.
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Lesson Plan
BioEd Online

Bio Ed Online: Rainbow in the Room

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the properties of visible light and the sequence of colors in the spectrum using light shone through water and prisms. The lesson plan and accompanying slideshow can both be downloaded.
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Lesson Plan
Utah Education Network

Uen: Enlightening Explorations, Part Iii

For Teachers 6th
This lesson contains the following labs: Rainbows, Refraction with Prisms, and What Color Is It? Students will study light by reading various nonfiction texts and viewing a video lesson. Then students will engage in the following labs:...
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Visible Color Spectrum Wheel

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief explanation of the visible color wheel.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: What Is Color?

For Students 9th - 10th
Colm Kelleher describes the physics behind colors- why the colors we see are related to the period of motion and the frequency of waves. [3:09]
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Activity
Center of Science and Industry

Cosi Columbus: Coffee Filter Rainbows

For Students 3rd - 8th
Science experiment that demonstrates chromotography. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what happens with different colors when they are soaked with water.
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Website
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: About Rainbows

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research provides an illustrated article about the phenomenon of rainbows.
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Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: How to Build a Spectroscope

For Students 3rd - 5th
Instructions for how to construct a spectroscope from basic materials, which can be used to study colors produced by light from different sources. Adult supervision may be required for the use of the utility knife. Includes an...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Georgia State University: Color

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Georgia State University discusses the location of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes the wavelength values for various colors of light within the visible light spectrum.