Optics: Light at Work - Part I. Part 2
You can order free DVDs from SPIE: Light in Action:
Lasers, Cameras & Other Cool Stuff; Optics: Light at Work; and Careers in Optics.
Art
& Optics: Science and Art Closer Than You Think
Optical technology and the study of light go far back in human
culture. Contemporary artists are often quick to adopt new technology,
or to absorb its implications. Was it any different then? Why
should the use of a tool diminish the value of the art?
Concepts
of Light and Color
A set of interactive Java applet tutorials to help you understand
how color and light work. Beautifully done. Lots of levers to
slide to make changes. From Molecular Expressions.
Cool Cosmos
Here you'll find pictures, videos, games, educational materials,
and more. A fun way to learn all about the "cool" part
of the electromagnetic spectrum: infrared light.
Discovering Light
This site is dedicated to light in all its manifestations: in
physics, in technology, in nature and in culture. To help you
learn about light, we've included a message board for posting
questions. A Thinkquest site.
Fermilab's
System of Web Pages About Light
Light is great, light is mysterious, light is useful. After all,
they say everything started with light. When any revolution has
happened in the history of science, light was always there. So
it deserves a little attention.
The
Light Stuff
Here on Earth the speed of light can change. How? Go to
Joe's Room and see if you can figure it out.
MicroWorlds
An interactive tour of current research in the materials sciences
at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source. For high school students,
this site explains how intense light is used for physics research.
Optics
For Kids: Science and Engineering
Some fun and interesting things about OPTICS: the science of
LIGHT, and one of the most important fields of PHYSICS. by Bruce
Irving, Optical Research Associates.
Chemiluminescence
- Light without Heat
To do this experiment, you'll need some light sticks from a sporting
goods store or a necklace from a fair. You'll watch what happens
when you put it in hot water and in your refridgerator.. From
Home
Experiments by Professor Shakhashiri.
Firefly
Files
How fireflies produce light via a chemical reaction and how you
can attract fireflies to your yard, if you have them in the area
in the first place.
Chemistry
of Autumn Colors
Formerly green leaves turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange,
and red. These color changes are the result of transformations
in leaf pigments.
Separate
Colors in a Green Leaf using Chromatography
To help you understand just how leaves change colors in the fall
and why some trees change to red while others change to orange
or yellow, try this experiment on leaves from the same tree both
before and after color changes.
Why
Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
Separate colors in a green leaf using chromatography. Observe
how light affects color development. Word Scramble puzzles as
well.
Optical Society
of America Student Center
This is your opportunity to network electronically with OSA members
who have expertise in various technical groups and application
areas.
The
Infrared Zoo
What do animals look like in the infrared? Actually "see"
the differences between warm and cold-blooded animals, and learn
how animals use fur, blubber and feathers to insulate themselves.
Build a Pizza Box Solar Oven
The sun is hot enough to bake food. Here's how to make a simple solar oven that gets hot enough to warm up cookies and other treats, like s'mores. It won't get really hot, though, so you can't bake things in it and you won't burn yourself when playing with it. Be sure to have an adult help you with this!
Feng Shui and Color
Response to color symbolism is a response to color preconception,
and it is a predetermined response based on literary and psychological
ideas about color itself.
Make a Splash with Color
We see red apples, green grass, and blue sky. Did you ever wonder why this is? Maybe it has something to do with the apples, the grass, and the sky? Or maybe something to do with your eyes? Or maybe even something to do with your mind?
Counter-Rotating
Spirals Illusion
Stare at the spirals for 20 seconds and then at the pattern on
the right. What causes this affect? An optical illusion!
A
didactic downloadable moiré demonstration kit
A printable moiré demonstration kit, where each
layer is given by a separate PostScript file that can be downloaded
and printed on a transparency.
Gallery
of Visual Illusions
View and test various illusions by dragging seemingly different
objects together or apart.
Illusions
20 visual illusions, hidden faces, moving yet still graphics.
Op Art
Illusion design works that look like op art. Please note that this page could make you feel sick.
Polarized
Light in Nature and Technology
Polarization is present in the rainbow, in the hidden color of
minerals, in the dance of honeybees, in the flow of molten metal,
in the color of beetles, and the gloss of tree leaves at dawn.
Bob
Miller's Light Walk
Artist Bob Miller's "Light Walk" at the Exploratorium
is always an eye-opening expereience for students and teachers
alike. His unique discoveries will change the way you look at
light, shadow, and images.
Shadow
Dance
The purpose of this activity is to experiment with shadows and
light sources and to understand the relationship between the
angle of illumination and the shadow's length.
Aurora Borealis
What creates these shimmering celestial lights? Information,
resources and experiments you can carry out to learn more about
the Northern Lights. From Newton's Apple.
Lightning
Lightning in a Pan
Try this easy experiment to make your own miniature version of
a lightning bolt.
Rainbows
Building
a Rainbow
Young students will enjoy just creating online rainbows. More
advanced students can take the whole lab course to understand
how rainbows obey the rules of calculus.
The
Physics of a Rainbow
A most charming example of chromatic dispersion is a rainbow.
When white sunlight is intercepted by a drop of water in the
atmosphere, some of the light refracts into the drop, reflects
from the drop's inner surface, and then refracts out of the drop.
Sunsets & Blue Skies
Blue
Sky - Red Sunset
Why is the sky blue? What makes colorful sunsets? This simple
demonstration will show you how these sky colors happen.
Sky
Window
What color is the sky? Well, it's just not any old blue! Make
a blue-gray-white color wheel to make surveys of sky colors over
several weeks.
Why is the sky blue? Why are sunsets red?
Take a look at light through a prism and notice all the different colors that you can see. Light that looks white to our eyes actually is made up of many different colors. From Optics For Kids.
Color Theory
Artists were fascinated by Newton's clear demonstration that light alone was responsible for color. An online course on color, vision and art.
Seeing
Color
You may ask yourself why is it that we only see the "visible"
portion of light?
Web
Safe Color Chart - Paired Color Values
Click on a color to lock it as the background. Click on any color
to unlock. Place your mouse over a color to see the CSS shorthand
value tooltip.
Wintergreen
Candy and other Triboluminescent Materials
Go into a closet or other dark room. Take along a mirror and
some WintOGreen Lifesavers. Wait for your eyes to adjust and
then bite down on the candy real hard while watching in the mirror.
If the candy hasn't gotten soggy, your mouth will glow, and here's
why.
