Understanding Light and Waves

Understanding
Light
Resource Guide for Teachers
Ashleigh Guest

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Contents:

P3 Introduction

P4: Student Learning Outcomes

P5-‐22: Experiment 1, Bridge Light, Including Glossary.

P23-‐32: Experiment 2, Laser Jello, Including Glossary.

P33-‐38: Experiment 3, Making a Rainbow

P39:References

Ashleigh Guest 3819377

Resource Guide

Understanding Light and Waves

Introduction
This resource guide is going to give you information to teach a
grade 6 class about light and how light moves in waves. In regards to
waves, you’ll be able to (with the help of this resource guide) be able
to teach the kids that light waves differ in frequency, wavelength and
amplitude. They will also be able to understand that different colors
aren’t just pretty, they have meaning, and that certain colors have
different frequencies that make them more dangerous to humans
then others. It will also include information about atoms and
electrons and their role in light absorption, and also the concepts of
light being able to move in different waves. (convex, converging,
concave etc)


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Student Learning Outcomes

• Exp 1+3: Understanding that light travels as waves
• Exp 1+3: Understanding that these waves travel in
different frequencies, wave lengths, and amplitudes.
• Exp 2: Understand that light bounces off different
surfaces in different ways.
• Exp 2: These surfaces being smooth (specualar) and
rough (diffuse) surfaces. As well as understanding
different types of reflection, concave, convex etc.
• Exp 2: Basic understanding of the ability of light to bend.
• Exp 2: Understand divergence and convergence when
travelling through concave and convex lenses.
• Exp 2: Understand the basics of refraction
• Exp 1+3: Understanding the spectrum of colors and
understand which colors and why they are dangerous to
humans.
• Exp 2: Understand there are constructive and
destructive waves of light and these will enable you to
see different colors when different types of waves are in
use.


Resource Guide

Experiment 1: Bridge Light

Aim:
Students by the end of this experiment will be able to understand the basics of
light reflecting and the basics of constructive and destructive interference of
light waves.
They should also be able to understand white light is a make-‐up of all different
colors of light and when light waves of different colors meet they can cancel each
other and the complementary color of the color that has been cancelled out is the
one that is left to see. Eg; (if blue is cancelled out, you’ll see yellow)
Although this is a tough ask, they could also begin to understand the color
spectrum and at different thicknesses of the gap you will be able to see different
colors.

Background for the teacher:
To start off with, as a teacher you need to understand that light travels in a wave
of electromagnetic energy. There is a disturbance (electric current) in the
magnetic field, which created an electric/magnetic field. Light is therefore
electromagnetic radiation. Students don’t need to know all these terms in
primary school.

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The higher the amplitude of the waves in the two fields the more intense or
bright the light is. Waves have the ability to split, overlap, and interfere with
other waves.
Frequency in light waves determines the color, the higher the frequency the
more dangerous the color is.

Image from: http://www.ambulancevisibility.com/index.php?p=1_16
There is a certain amount of color that is visible to the human eye, and the higher
or lower the wave length is there less visible and more dangerous the colour
becomes. As you can see ultra-‐violet light (UV) is the most well known
dangerous light.

Image:http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/ljgriffi/project/grifunit7/About%20the%20wavelengths.htm

Resource Guide

The above diagram shows the different wavelengths that determine which type
of light we are able to see. When using Gamma lights for good, it allows us to kill
off cancerous cells.
Waves are able to interfere with each other, there are constructive interferences
and destructive interferences. If two waves of light meet and are their highs and
lows of the wave match then they can combine to create a higher amplitude, this
is called constructive wave. If two waves meet and they don’t match then they
cancel each other out and there will be no wave left at all.

Image:http://www.kirksville.k12.mo.us/khs/Teacher_Web/alternative/waves.


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Background for Students:

Light travels in electrical waves, these waves can differ in;
• Length: which is the distance between each trough of a wave.
• Amplitude: the height of each wave.
• Frequency: how close together and how often the waves are.


Resource Guide

These different types of waves, produce different colors of the color
spectrum.

As you can see in the above diagram, there is visible light, but the
colours before these, and the colours after these cannot be seen and
can be dangerous to the human body. UV light is water we protect
ourselves from with sunscreen, hats and sunglasses. The higher
colours can be used to kill cancer cells in radiation therapy.

Waves can also work together to produce bigger waves, if two waves
meet and they are the same, then their amplitude will grow bigger,
and the waves will become stronger, therefore they are constructive
waves.


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If the two waves meet and they aren’t the same then they won’t work
together to become bigger, they will both stop moving, therefore they
are destructive waves.

Definitions:
Amplitude: The higher the wave is.
Constructive waves: Waves the work together to make bigger
waves.
Destructive waves: Waves that don’t work together and therefore
don’t make bigger waves.
Frequency: The more waves there are and they’re closer together.
Length: The distance between each trough of a wave.
Light wave: electric wave that produces light.
Trough: The lowest point of a wave.


Resource Guide

Materials:
You will need:
• Two sheets of plexiglass, which need to be ¼ inch, or 1/8 inch thick
and approximately a 30cmx30cm, square. (size is not critical) You
can find these sheets at any sort of home improvement shop such as
bunnings.
• 1 piece of dark construction paper.
• One 8x13cm piece of transparent red plastic
• Electrical tape
• A light source, can be any sort of desk lamp.
The teacher should cut everything to size as it can be dangerous for kids to
do this.
Also, for best results this should be done in low light to observe the
rainbows and colours.
Method:
• Peel paper off the plexi glass and clean surface properly with
alcohol and a soft cloth.
• Press the plates tightly together and tape them together.
• Tape the piece of dark paper onto one of the plates.
• Holding the plates, with the dark side on the bottom under the
strong white light and you will observe the rainbow coloured
patterns.
• You can move the plates around and notice the changes in the
patterns.
• Next place the red plastic between the light and the plates and you
will notice that the patterns are now just red and black as opposed
to a rainbow.
• You can move the glass in different ways and if the red light is
interfered with then you will only see black.

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• Extension; you can move the two pieces of glass apart and hold
them under light and see what light makes it through at different
gaps.


Resource Guide

Glossary for teacher:

Amplitude: Physics One half the full extent of a vibration, oscillation, or wave.
The amplitude of an ocean wave is the maximum height of the wave crest above
the level of calm water, or the maximum depth of the wave trough below the
level of calm water.
Constructive interference: When two light waves superpose with each other in
such away that the crest of one wave falls on the crest of the second wave, and
trough of one wave falls on the trough of the second wave, then the resultant
wave has larger amplitude and it is called constructive interference.
Destructive interference: When two light waves superpose with each other in
such away that the crest of one wave coincides the trough of the second wave,
then the amplitude of resultant wave becomes zero and it is called destructive
interference.
Electric field: region of space where electrically charged particles experience a
force.
Electromagnetic radiation: a type of energy that is defined by an oscillating
electric and magnetic field. (light)
Frequency: The rate at which a repeating event occurs, such as the full cycle of a
wave.
Magnetic field: region of space where a magnetic particle experiences a force.


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Questions and Answers:
1) What is a wave?
Light travels in a wave of electromagnetic energy. There is a disturbance
(electric current) in the magnetic field, which created an electric/magnetic
field. Light is therefore electromagnetic radiation. Students don’t need to
know all these terms in primary school. Therefore a wave is a change in the
magnetic field by an electrical current. Students do not have to have such a
detailed answer, grade 6 students should be able to understand it is an
electrical current and nothing further.
2) Define frequency: The rate at which a repeating event occurs, such as the
full cycle of a wave.
3) Define Amplitude: Physics One half the full extent of a vibration,
oscillation, or wave. The amplitude of an ocean wave is the maximum height
of the wave crest above the level of calm water, or the maximum depth of the
wave trough below the level of calm water.
4) Define length: The distance between each trough of a wave.
5) What is the name of the light that can damage human skin?
UV light
6) What does UV stand for?
Ultraviolet light.
7) If you are holding the red plastic under the light, what colours
could you see?
Red and black.
8) What happens if two waves the same meet?
Constructive interference.
9) How does a destructive interference happen?
Two waves meet that aren’t the same.
10) If a colour is dangerous is it higher frequency or lower
frequency?
Higher.


Resource Guide

11) Why have we put black paper on the back?
So we can see the colours produced a lot easier and clearer.
12) Why do we use white light?
Because when we use white light we are able to see the full spectrum of
the colours, using certain coloured lights allow us to only see certain
colours.
13) Why did we clean the glass properly before we started the
experiment?
Finger prints and any remaining residue can impact the angle of the
light bouncing off and we want to get a clear colour and picture to see.

These can be included with one of the work sheets or asked to the
entire class at the end of the experiment.


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Worksheet 1:
Multiple choice:
1) When looking at a wave the trough is;
a) The top of a wave
b) The bottom of a wave
c) The distance between each wave
d) The higher the wave is
2) UV light is;
a) Ultraviolet light
b) Ultraviolent light
c) Univiolent light
d) Univiolet light

True or False:
1) UV light can be see with the human eye;
a) True
b) False
2) A wave is made up of electricity;
a) True
b) False

Fill in the blanks;
1) When a wave meets another wave and they’re the same at
increase the amplitude of their wave when combined its called
___________________ interference. When they meet and they’re not the
same its called ____________________ interference.

2) The _______________ is the distance between each wave, the
________________ is the height of the waves and the ________________ is
how many and close they are together.

Resource Guide

Worksheet 2:
1) Label this diagram with:
a) Length
b) Ampitude
c) Trough

2) On this spectrum of light, draw two lines at the two ends where
humans stop being able to see the colour:

2) Looking at the above image, which colours would be most
dangerous?


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3) Label this diagram with which types of interference these
waves are experiencing.

4) What is the name of the colour of light that we protect
ourselves from using sunscreen and hats?


Resource Guide

5) Label this diagram with as much information as you.


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Answers to Work Sheet 1:
1) a
2) b
3) False
4) True
5) Constructive and Destructive
6) Length, amplitude and frequency.

Answers to Work Sheet 2:
1) label
2) Violet – Red
3) Constructive and then destructive
4) Ultraviolet
5) High frequency, high amplitude
Medium frequency, medium wave length
Low frequency, high wave length


Resource Guide

Experiment 2: Laser Jello
Aim: Students by the end of this experiment will be able to understand the
concept of refraction, they will also need to learn about reflection but that
is not shown through doing this experiment. There are different surfaces
which impact the way the light travels and this will also be explored but
students at a grade 6 levels will not have to remember the scientific
names. They will be able to understand why there is a change in direction
of light when passing through the jello. They will be able to understand
that when light travels through a substance and it slows down, it will
change direction when it comes back out to a faster medium (refraction).
They will be able to get an understanding of convex and concave and how
light travels when passing through the different types of lenses although
this experiment does not cover it.

Background for the teacher:
Reflection: When light is produced it travels through the air and bounces
off objects, when they bounce of the objects and enter our eyes they are
able to be seen, this is called reflection. When the light is absorbed by the
object it appears as a dull black, and when it is reflected (bounces off),
appears as the same colour, so if it white light, it is seen as white.
The surface the light is bouncing off also effects the way it is seen; if
it is a rough surface and the light has irregular scattering then it is called
diffuse reflection. If the surface is smooth then the light will reflect in only
one direction and this is referred to as regular or specular reflection.
Examples can be found on the next page.

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Refraction: when light passes from one substance to another it is going to
change speed, when its travelling through the air it is moving at
approximately 300,000km per second. When light is in water I moves
significantly slower at 225,000km per second. If the light is traveling
through air at a right angle to the water it will continue moving in the
same downwards direction, how ever if it is entering a substance at an
angle it will slow down and bend, and this is called refraction. Eg of light

Resource Guide

refracting are, when you see water on a dry road, or why stars look like
they’re twinkling.

In saying that, once the light moves into the water, it bends, and
once it leaves back into the air it bends back to the angle it originally went
in with. This is seen in the following diagram.

From: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/lightandcolor/refraction.html

Lenses:
A lens is a transparent object with a curved surface, usually made from
glass or tough plastics. Lenses is what makes a magnified or reduced
image and can also be used to concentrate or spread light rays. Eg;
spectacles, contact lenses, and optical instruments such as microscopes,
telescopes and cameras.
There are positive lenses, and negative lenses. Positive lenses are called
convex, and will focus light, whilst negative are concave and spread out

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light rays. Which can be seen visually in the following diagram.

This experiment does not show this, how ever the students can learn this
in a classroom and is an important part of light they need to understand.

Background for students:
Reflection: as you all know, when you look in a mirror you can see
yourself, this is called reflection. Although you may not know it, reflection
is happening all around you, when ever you look at anything, light is being
reflected off it which means you’re able to see it. I know this is a hard
concept to grasp, but all you need to know is that, when light is produce,
the rays hit a surface, and bounce off that surface and into your eyes which
means you can see it. If the light hits a surface, it is able to absorb some of
those light rays, which means you see certain colours. So for example, to
see the colour black, it means all of those light rays have been absorbed,
and to see the colour white, it means that all the light waves have been
reflected!
The type of surface that light is bouncing also affects where the light
goes. As you can imagine, if light bounces onto a smooth surface it will all
bounce off in the same way (specular reflection). But if the light hits a
rough surface, what do you think will happen? It will bounce in all
different directions (diffuse reflection)! To understand this, think of when
you’re walking along the road on a hot day and you think you can see
water on the road ahead of you, this is called a mirage, but actually it is the

Resource Guide

light rays bouncing off the road in all different directions! Another
example of it is when you see stars twinkling! Pictures can be seen below!

Refraction: Although this is a hard topic, once you understand it, it is very
simple to understand, when light is travelling through the air it is moving
at 300,000km per second! (VERY FAST!) When it is travelling through
water is is moving at 225,000km per second, so still very fast but a lot
slower then through the air!
When the light moves into the water, or through any other
substance, it will bend at a certain angle, because it has become slower,
how ever, once it passes back out of the water, it speeds back up and bends
back to its original angle!

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Next!
Lenses: Off the top of your head can you think of any lenses that you see
people use every day? Contact lenses? Spectacles? Lenses are also used in
telescopes (to look at the stars), microscopes (to look at really little things
in science classes!), and cameras (to take photos!). Well you’re right, these
are lenses but do you know how they work?
There are 2 different types of lenses, there is concave, and convex, as you
can tell by the name, concave lenses make a cave and convex lenses push
outwards!

When light enters these two types of lenses, they do different things to the
light, convex lenses make the light go into one direction, where as a
concave lenses spreads the light in different directions!

The following experiment mainly looks at refraction, and you will get to
see how light bends when entering through a different substance!


Resource Guide

Materials:
• Petri dishes
• Agar
• Water
• Kettle
• Heating pad
• Stirring tablet
• Foil
• Dyes (red and blue preferably + one other)
• Laser
Teachers need to supervisor the production of the agar jelly!

Method:
1) To make the agar Jelly, you will need 1 liter of boiling water, and
5grams of agar!
2) Put the water on a heating bad, and put stirring tablet in the water
3) Next add the agar, and turn on the heat and the spin
4) Put the foil over the top!
5) Once it has all dissolved proper, fill 4 petri dishes to the top.
6) Add blue dye to one, red dye to other, leave one with normal and the
other with your chosen colour.
7) You need to let these set!
8) Once they have set, take them into a dark room, and using your laser
shine it through each other the different colours and see what
happens!
9) You will notice refraction happening, and in different colours you
will have to record and notice different angles of the light!
10) Once you have done this, you can cut a concave and convex
shape into the agar and shine the laser through, you will notice
which way each bend the light!

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Glossary:
Concave lens: A lens that is curved inwards, and spreads light outwards.
Convex lens: A lens that is curved outwards and focuses light to one spot.
Diffuse: When light bounces off a rough surface and bounces off in all different
directions.
Reflection: When light bounces off different objects and surfaces.
Refraction: When light passes from one substance to another and slows down
or fastens up and bends at a certain angle. This does not happen if the light is
travelling at a 90° angle.
Specular: When light bounces off a smooth surface and the rays of light stay in
the same direction.

Resource Guide

Questions:
1) What happens to light when it passes through a concave
lens?
The light spreads.
2) What happens to light when it passes through a convex
lens?
Light is directed into one spot.
3) How fast does light travel through the air?
300,000km per second
4) How fast does light travel through water?
225,000km per second.
5) What is it called when light bounces off a surface in
different directions?
Diffuse
6) What is it called when light bounces off a surface in one
direction?
Specular
7) In your own words describe why we see water on a road on
a hot day.
Kids should write something along the lines;
When light bounces off a rough surface the light scatters in all
different directions and this is what we are seeing.
8) Why does light bend when passing through another
substance?
Because it is slowing down.
9) What happens to the light when it comes back out of that
substance and into air again?
Bends back to the original angle that it entered with when
passing back into the fast environment.

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Activity 1: Crossword

Resource Guide

Activity 2: Word Search


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Experiment 3: Making Soap Bubbles
Aim: This experiment is a fun easy experiment for kids to do, the main
point I want kids to get out of it is that when light hits the bubbles they
light waves interfere with each other, and cause different colours.

Background for teacher: If you look back over the information in the first
experiment you will be able to understand most of what this experiment is
about. When light is entering different parts of the soap bubble and
reflecting and meeting each other, they can constructively or destructively
interfere with each other, if they partially cancel each other out in certain
waves it produces different colours. So if the red waves get cancelled out
you will see a blue-‐green colour, and so on.

To further understand, read back over the previous two experiments, this
is just a further fun activity and another way of looking at how colours and
light is produced and used!

Resource Guide

Background for students: CAN BE USED FROM TEACHERS.

Materials:

• Drinking straw
• Pipe cleaners
• A small bucket
• Bubble solution-‐ you can make your own or buy a bubble solution
from the supermarket, this works best!

Method:
Form frames using the drinking straws for the straight pieces.
Connect two straws at a corner by inserting a doubled pipe cleaner into the end
of each straw. In places where three straws meet, fold the pipe cleaners as shown
in the diagram. Attach a pipe cleaner handle to your frame.

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Try constructing cubes or tetrahedrons, or just let your imagination run wild.
Mix the soap solution in the bucket.
Make sure that you have enough solution to fully cover the frames when they are
dipped.
Once you have made the frames, dip these in the solution and pull out, observe
the amazing colours that are produced, and move them around and observe the
colours changing!

Glossary: Can be used from previous experiments.


Resource Guide

Activity One: Word Search.


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Activity 2: Questions and Answers
1) Why do you see different colours of light when looking at the
bubbles?

2) True or False: The lower the frequency the more dangerous the
light is.

3) True or False: UV light is dangerous to humans.

4) What do we do to protect ourselves from UV light?

5) What does UV stand for?


Resource Guide

Answers:
1) When light is shining through the bubble, the light bounces off the
sides of the walls and the waves can either cancel each other out or
partially cancel out, if its partial they produced different colours!
2) False
3) True
4) Hats and sunscreen
5) Ultraviolet


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Activity 3: Cross Word


Resource Guide

References:
All picture have website underneath.
Used lecture notes from Nick at Victoria University.
Karam, P Andrew; Stein, Ben P, ‘Light and Sound’. Pub; 01 Oct, 2010.


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Ashleigh Guest 3819377