Exploratorium

Background Research/Proposal (due 5/18)
toc - refraction of light - index of refraction - depth perception
 * Demo 1:** Bent Pencil
 * Materials:** clear beaker and pencil
 * Instructions:** The students observe the pencil through side of the container. Diagram shows from the top. Does this matter? I also know this good demo with an opaque cup and a penny. Talk to me Tuesday. They should note that the pencil appears to bend at the air-water interface, and explain this apparent bending. By removing the pencil from the water, they can easily see that the pencil is not in fact bent.
 * Website: ** []
 * Background Information **



- change in medium causes a change in speed - refraction
 * Demo 2:** Fish Tank Optics
 * Materials:** Fish Tank, Laser Pointer, Milk/Dye
 * Instructions:** Shine laser from above into the water to see the laser refract.
 * Website:** []
 * Background Information**

- white light is the combination of every color - every color has a different wavelength - light bends or “refracts” when it goes through a different medium - index of refraction varies for different wavelengths, so a rainbow appears
 * Demo 3:** Prism and White Light
 * Materials:** White light, prism, screen
 * Instructions:** The students shine the light through the prism and experiment by varying the angle between the beam and the side of the prism. They should observe a rainbow coming out of the prism
 * Website:**[]
 * Background Information**



1. Take your cardboard tube and cut it down to the length of the two focal lengths of the lenses (for example, if I have 10cm and 20cm lenses I would need a 30cm tube.) 2. Now attach the lenses to either end of the tube using the sticky tape, but try not to obscure the view through the tube. 3. Using your felt tip pen color the end of the tube with the shorter focal length lens so you know which direction to look through (the end with the lens with the shorter focal length). 4. Now look though the end that you've marked and you're looking through a telescope! The first thing you'll notice is that the image you see is upside down. Real telescopes have many lenses in them so the image always appears the right side up. If the focal lengths of your lenses were fairly close, you might not think there's much of a difference in image size. If you look through the telescope with one eye, however, and look straight at the object with the other you should be able to see both the magnified and the unmagnified image and compare the two. - lens bends the incoming light to make the image appear larger - uses a convex lens to bend light and brings it into focus
 * Demo 1:** Make a Telescope
 * Materials:** 2 convex lenses with different focal lengths, a cardboard tube, sticky tape, color felt tip pen
 * Instructions:**
 * Website:** []
 * Background Information**

Gather Materials (due 5/21)
Materials List 1. Clear Beaker 2. Pencil 3. D-shaped Petri Dish 4. Red Jell-O 5. Blueberry Jell-O 6. Light source (white light) 7. Prism 8. Optics Screen 9. *2 Convex Lenses- different focal lengths 10. *Cardboard Tube 11. Sticky Tape 12. Sharpies


 * Means needed for every kid

First Draft Written Script (due 5/29)
This one has my edits and comments:

Final List of Needed Materials (due 5/29)
1. Clear Beaker 2. Pencil 3. Fish Tank 4. Laser Pointer 5. Food Dye 6. Light Source (white light) 7. Prism 8. White Screen 9. Sharpies 10. Sticky Tape 11. "Cardboard Tube" 12. "2 Convex Lenses different focal lengths"

"means needed for all children"

Second Draft Written Script (due 5/30)
This one has my comments:

Second Draft Trifold Poster (due 5/30)
Looks great! Just one nitpicky thing: The refraction from air to water picture... the bending doesn't happen at the medium boundary but way after the ray is already in the water.