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.
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.
Walter Fendt
Walter Fendt: Reflection and Refraction of Light
Defines the refraction of light and provides an applet for investigating it.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Light (K 4)
This site provides two activities that young scholars can do in class. One uses mirrors to reflect light beams whole another is making a kaleidescope.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Introduction to Light
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart introduces fifth graders to the science of light. Principles such as transparent, translucent, opaque, reflection, and refraction are covered. Concave and convex mirrors and lenses are...
My Science Site
My Science Site: The Light for Sight [Pdf]
This resource offers a hands-on activity for science teachers to teach about the eye and it's ability to see images. Also discusses refraction and reflection. This resource is in PDF form; requires Adobe Reader.
Other
Lighthouses: Lighting the Lights
A description of the early lights used in lighthouses and how these lights evolved into what they are today. Explains the contributions of Fresnel to the development of these lights; discusses the Fresnel orders.
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Methods of Polarization
At this college physics department site, the polarization of light is explained and illustrated as well as the primary methods of polarization (scattering, reflection, and refraction).
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: 3 M Young Scientist Lab: Gelatin Optic Fibers
Strips of gelatin dessert and a laser pointer demonstrate total internal reflection.
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.
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Crossed Polarizers
At this univeristy physics department site, the polarization of light is explained and illustrated. Methods for analyzing light to determine the degree of polarization are stated and explained with equations.
BBC
Bbc: Gcse Bitesize: General Properties of Waves
Light travels as waves. Waves can be described by their amplitude, wavelength and frequency. The speed of a wave can be calculated from its frequency and wavelength.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Eye Disease and Contact Lenses
Punctate keratitis is an eye disease that results in abrasions on the epithelial cornea. One of the leading causes of the disease is the overuse of contact lenses. A research team is investigating the optical properties of four new types...
Boston University
Bu: Optics: Geometric Optics
Several short descriptions of demonstrations which illustrate principles of geometric optics (many of which focus upon refraction).
Optical Society
Optical Society of America: Optics for Kids: Blue Sky Red Sunset
An experiment where light is shone through a bottle of water, and then milk added, to see how this affects the path the light takes (with links to articles on reflection and refraction that explain what is happening).
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Image Formation for Concave Mirrors Case A
This animation depicts the path of light to each person's eye. Different people are sighting in different directions; yet each person is sighting at the same image location. In this animation the image location is the intersection point...
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Light
For this activity, students actually find the angles of reflection and incidence.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Polarization
"How Do We Know Light Behaves as a Wave?" An answer is provided in this discussion of the polarization of light and the use of Polaroid filters in sunglasses. The four methods discussed on this page are: polarization by transmission,...
My Science Site
Optics: Energy and Control [Pdf]
A very comprehensive unit including topics such as light and its source, visible sources of light, transparency of objects and much more. Also offers a resource list, blackline masters, and expectation list, expectation summary and a...
University of Maryland
Optics Highlights: Optics, Electromagnetic Waves, Quanta
Part of an anecdotal history on optics and the study of light. Extremely thorough treatment of the scientific evidence which led scientists to believe in the particle nature of light. Includes a short biographical sketch and discusses...
Educaplus (Jesús Peñas Cano)
Educaplus: La Luz
What do you know about light? Learn about it through this interactive site. At the end you can take a test to test your knowledge. A scientific calculator is also provided.
Cosmo Learning
Cosmo Learning: Applied Science and Technology 210: Electrical Engineering
A collection of video lectures from a course that explores the application of electrical engineering topics. Webpage includes twenty-eight lectures from a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Lectures vary in length and...
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.
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey: Overview of Radiation
This site details what radiation is, the physics of radiation, and radiative transfer as it occurs in nature. Content explores the electromagnetic spectrum, electromagnetic waves, properties of radiation, and solar radiation.