TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Engineering Your Own Spectrograph
Students use simple materials to design an open spectrograph so they can calculate the angle light is bent when it passes through a holographic diffraction grating. A holographic diffraction grating acts like a prism, showing the visual...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
Students find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a...
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.
NASA
Electromagnetic Spectrum: Ultraviolet Waves
Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. Though these waves are invisible to the human eye, some insects can see them. The specific wavelength values are given. Uses and applications of these waves are explained.
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Scattering Concepts
A collection of several pages explaining the principles which underlie Rayleigh scattering of light.
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.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Light Waves, Visible and Invisible
Lucianne Walkowicz shows us the waves just beyond our perception: microwaves, radio waves, x-rays and more. [5:58]
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...
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Light, Matter, Energy: Light the Way
What is electromagnetic radiation and how does it work? Review a captioned graphic that explains electromagnetic radiation and the visible and invisible types of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Radiation and Energy: Lesson 2
This lesson discusses the light spectrum and its influence on living things. It is 2 of 3 in the series titled "Radiation and Energy."
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Building a Fancy Spectrograph
Students create and decorate their own spectrographs using simple materials and holographic diffraction gratings. A holographic diffraction grating acts like a prism, showing the visual components of light. After building the...
Curated OER
Georgia State University: Color
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.
NASA
Nasa's the Space Place: A Trip to the Land of the Magic Windows
Explore the electromagnetic spectrum and learn about each type of energy on the spectrum.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Thirsty for Gold
Student teams conduct an experiment that uses gold nanoparticles as sensors of chemical agents to determine which of four sports drinks has the most electrolytes. In this way, students are introduced to gold nanoparticles and their...
University of California
Center for Science Education: Gallery
A gallery of astronomy images which depict galaxies, comets, the moon, planets, nebulae, supernovae as seen in various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Each image in the gallery is described. Fascinating!
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Absorption of Radiant Energy by Different Colors
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...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: A Spectral Mystery
Students use the spectrograph from the "Building a Fancy Spectrograph" activity to gather data about light sources. Using their data, they make comparisons between different light sources and make conjectures about the composition of a...
Curated OER
Georgia State University: Color
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.
University of California
U.c. Berkeley: Spectra From Space
View the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation and get information on telescopes especially designed to view different wavelengths of the spectrum.
NASA
Nasa: The Space Place: The Land of the Magic Windows
This is a site from NASA that contains an interesting and fun way to learn about the electromagnetic spectrum. Kate receives a strange riddle from her grandfather. Find out what it says and go through the gateway to the Land of the Magic...
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.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What Is Color?
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]
York University
York University: Color and Color Vision
York University provides an index page to several other pages on the topic of color and color vision. The pages are part of an online "book." Many graphics and explanations.
NASA
Nasa: Imagine the Universe: Welcome to the World of Multiwavelength Astronomy!
This Imagine the Universe site provides an introduction into the multiwavelength universe and astronomy. Site provides graphics, links to a quiz, facts on this topic as well as teacher resources.