1. How do you LIGHT Up your world ? Virginia SOL 5.3
Part II-Examining Light
with Hands-On Activities
Compiled by, Marjorie Anne Wallace
Elementary Science Resource Teacher
, NNPS & NSF Coop Agreement

2. Welcome to a power point presentation on LIGHT.
We will investigate the following:
1. What is light?
2. What makes up the visible spectrum?
3.How does a prism work?
4.Are there any hands-on/minds-on activities I can do to learn more?

3. LIGHT Standards Virginia Standards of Learning 5.3a-e:
National Science Education Standards
Physical Science: Content Standard B
As a result of the activities in grades
K-4, all students should develop an understanding of light, heat, electricity, and magnetism.
Virginia Standards of Learning 5.3a-e:
The student will investigate and understand basic characteristics of visible light and how it behaves.
(*Key concepts, 5.3a-e, are listed in your teacher curriculum guide)

4. A light review: Our primary source of light is the sun.
Light travels in straight lines at a speed of 186,000miles per second.
Light waves travel faster than sound waves.
Light energy from the sun travels through space , reaches earth, and some of it turns to heat energy and warms the earth’s air.
Light from the sun also travels to the cells of green plants (producers) and is stored as energy.
When light reaches an object, it is absorbed, reflected, or passes through it.

5. Sensing Light Humans have two light detectors.
Do you know what they are called?
Did you realize cameras and camcorders are light detectors too?

6. SOL query 5th grade 2003 Released Test Item#31 / CORE 1
#31 By passing white light through a prism,
you can tell-
A that white light is actually a mixture of
different colors
B the mass of the prism
C the original source of the light
D that blue light is brighter than white
light

7. What is light really? Electromagnetic radiation waves
Light waves are three dimensional
Light waves vibrate in all planes around a center line.
The waves have high points called “crests.”
Waves also have low points called “troughs.”
*The distance from one crest to the next crest is called a “wavelength.”
*The number of waves passing a given point in one second is called the “frequency.”
wavelength
*A Science Museum of VA:
Light Science Activity

8. *Electromagnetic Radiation
Electromagnetic radiation can be described in terms of a stream of photons. Each photon is traveling in a wave-like pattern, moving at the speed of light and carrying some amount of energy.
The only difference amongst radio waves, visible light, and gamma-rays is the amount of energy of the photons. Radio waves have photons with low energies. Microwaves have a little more energy than radio waves. Infrared has still more energy.
As we move down the chart we see visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma-rays whose photon energies gradually increase.
Gamma and Cosmic rays have the highest energy waves.
*Slide info from NSTA 2004 conference

9. Remember radio waves are long…and gamma rays are small
Radio-TV -Microwave- Infrared - VISIBLE -Ultraviolet -X-rays - Gamma- Cosmic

10. Radio (Longest electromagnetic waves)
Emitted by
Astronomical Objects
Radio Station Transmitters
Detected by
Ground based radio telescopes
*If you turn on a radio,, it will convert the radio wave energy into sound energy.

11. Television
Shorter than radio, also used to carry messages (pictures & sound) to our TV sets.
*We can sense the TV waves around us with our televisions.

12. Microwave Emitted by: Detected by Gas clouds collapsing into stars
Microwave Ovens
Radar Stations
Cell Phones
Detected by
Microwave Telescopes
Food (heated)
Cell phones
Radar (systems)

13. Infrared (Heat or Thermal) Are you a source of infrared? YES you are!
Emitted by
Sun and stars (Near)
TV Remote Controls
Food Warming Lights (Thermal)
*Everything at room temperature or above,=HEAT
Detected by
Infrared Cameras
TVs, VCRs,
Your skin

14. Let’s take a look at Herschel’s Experiment
Discovered Invisible Light
In 1800, Herschel places his control thermometer just outside the red end of the spectrum
Result: The outside thermometer registered the highest temperature

15. Let’s set up Herschel’s Experiment
Set up of Box Design for Conducting the Herschel Experiment.

16. Conducting Hershel’s Experiment
Place a sheet of white paper inside a cardboard box
Tape three thermometers together and place inside box
Cut a small notch in the top of the box and position a glass prism so that the spectrum is projected inside the box
Arrange the thermometers so that one is just outside the red end of the spectrum, with no visible light falling on it

17. Visible Each color is a different size wave
Visible Each color is a different size wave. Red the longest & violet the shortest
Emitted by
The sun and other astronomical objects
Laser pointers
Light bulbs
Detected by
Cameras
(film or digital)
Human eyes
Plants (red light)
Telescopes
RoyG.Biv

18. Prism Power: Roy G. Biv Activity
*PASCO Probe Activity OR
*AIMS:Primarily Physics:
Prism Power Activity
*What happens when light shines through prisms?
Materials :prism, PASCO “wave it,”equipment, paper, +7 Roy G. Biv crayon colors,
1. Give handouts. Darken the room and turn on light source. What color is the light? If I use a prism can you predict what will happen to the light?
2.Now use the prism. What color is the light?
3. Color in your hand out to match the spectrum.

19. Ultraviolet Sunburn / black light
He can get skin cancer!
Emitted by
Tanning booths (A)
The sun (A)
Black light bulbs (B)
UV lamps
Detected by
Space based UV detectors
UV Cameras
Flying insects (flies)

20. X-ray Emitted by Detected by Astronomical objects X-ray machines
CAT scan machines
Older televisions
Radioactive minerals
Airport luggage scanners
Detected by
Space based X-ray detectors
X-ray film
CCD detectors

21. Chandra X-ray Observatory
Chandra is designed to observe X-rays from high energy regions of the universe, such as the remnants of exploded stars.
The most sophisticated observatory built to date.
Deployed by the Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999,
Chandra X-ray Observatory
*Slide from 2004 NSTA Conference

22. Gamma Ray (Short electromagnetic waves but more energetic)
Emitted by
Radioactive materials
Exploding nuclear weapons
Gamma-ray bursts
Solar flares
Detected by
--Geiger counters
Gamma detectors and astronomical satellites
Medical imaging detectors

23. Sources of g-ray Emission
• Black holes
• Active Galaxies
• Pulsars
• Diffuse emission
• Supernovae
Gamma-ray bursts
• Unidentified

24. COSMIC Rays (The highest energy waves and the deadliest)
Cosmic rays come from deep space and can pass through the Earth.

25. How big are the waves? A great question! Radio waves= (Buildings to
human size);
Microwaves
(Humans-beetles);
Infrared waves
(Eye of a needle);
Visible waves
(microscopic size)!
WOW! All the rest are the size of molecules, atoms, atomic nuclei and smaller..

26. Part III looks at: reflection and refraction of LIGHT.
Part I examines: what is light? Waves, opaque, transparent,
& translucent, & sources of light around us.
Special thanks to NSTA Conference workshops on light!