1. Light
Stop Faking It!

2. Strand: Force, Motion, and Energy
SOL 5.3 The student will investigate and understand basic characteristics of white light. Key concepts include:
The visible spectrum, light waves, reflection, refraction, diffraction, opaque, transparent, translucent;
Optical tools (eyeglasses, lenses, flashlight, camera, kaleidoscope, binoculars, microscope light boxes, telescope, prism, spectroscope, mirrors); and
Historical contributions in light

3. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Explain the relationships between wavelength and the color of light. Name the colors of the visible spectrum.
ROYGBIV

4. Vocabulary
Visible spectrum (visible light): a combination of several different wavelengths of light traveling together. It is part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

5. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Diagram and label a representation of a light wave (wavelength, peak, trough)

6. Vocabulary
Waves: a disturbance which carries energy and that travels away from the starting point.
Wavelength: the distance between one crest of a wave and the next crest (distance between compressions); red is longest and violet is shortest
Peak: the highest point of a light wave
Trough: the lowest point of a light wave
Frequency: the number of waves (light or sound) produced in a given unit of time, such as a second

7. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Compare and contrast reflection and refraction
Reflection Refraction

8. Vocabulary Reflection: the bouncing of light from a surface
Refraction: the bending of light as it passes through one material to another

9. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Design an investigation to determine what happens to light as it passes through a convex lens. Describe the results.
A convex lens causes light to converge, or focus, producing an image that is smaller than the original object.

10. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Design an investigation to determine what happens to light as it passes through a concave lens. Describe the results.
A concave lens causes light to diverge, or spread out, producing a larger image than the original.

11. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Identify some common optical tools, and describe whether each has lenses, mirrors, and/or prisms in it. These should include:
eyeglasses
flashlights
cameras
binoculars
microscopes

12. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Eyeglasses: have lenses
c. Hyperopia (farsightedness)
a. Normal eye
b. Myopia (nearsightedness)
Corrected with concave lens
Corrected with convex lens
No correction needed

13. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Flashlight: has lenses and a mirror

14. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Cameras: have lenses, mirrors, and a prism

15. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Binoculars: have lenses and prisms

16. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Microscope: has lenses

17. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Explain the terms transparent, translucent, and opaque, and give an example of each.
Plastic wrap Wax paper Aluminum Foil
Transparent Translucent Opaque

18. Vocabulary Transparent: materials that allow all light to pass through
Translucent: letting light through but scattering it
Opaque: materials that do not let light through
Transmit: to send (as in sound or light). It also means light passing through an object.

19. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Analyze the effects of a prism on white light and describe why this occurs. Explain why a rainbow occurs.

20. Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes
Describe the contributions of these scientists in creating and using optical tools:
Galileo Galilei
Robert Hooke
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Isaac Newton

21. Galileo Galilei Italian Lived from 1564-1642
Developed the refracting telescope
Developed the first known example of the microscope

22. Robert Hooke English Lived from 1635-1703
Devised the compound microscope and illumination system
Discovered plant cells
Examined fossils with a microscope

23. Anton van Leeuwenhoek Dutch; born in Holland Lived 1632-1723
Made over 500 simple microscopes
Discovered bacteria, free-living and parasitic microscopic protists

24. Isaac Newton English Lived from 1643-1727
Discovered that white light was not a simple entity, but splits into a range of colors
When he passed white light through a glass prism, he noted that a spectrum of light was formed; particle theory of light
Reflecting telescope