Chapter 2: Light as a Wave
LW: 2.3.1 WARM-UP Students revisit a diagram from the Harvesting Sunlight article. (5 min) Light from a Grow Bulb Answer Here
LW: 2.3.1 WARM-UP Students revisit a diagram from the Harvesting Sunlight article. (5 min) Light from a Grow Bulb How are the sun and a light bulb different? They emit different types of light. Do the sun and the light bulb emit only one type of light each? No, they both emit many types of light.
LW: 2.3.2 REREADING HARVESTING SUNLIGHT Students reread an excerpt from the Harvesting Sunlight article to identify types of light that have different effects on plants. (15 min) You might be familiar with lasers; lasers are special because they can emit only one type of light, but most light sources emit many types of light. We know now that there are different types of light, but what is it that makes types of light different? For example, what makes radio waves different from ultraviolet light? We will begin investigating that today.
LW: 2.3.2 REREADING HARVESTING SUNLIGHT Students reread an excerpt from the Harvesting Sunlight article to identify types of light that have different effects on plants. (15 min) You will return to the Harvesting Sunlight article to identify types of light that have different effects on plants. Then they will explore those types of light in the Sim to observe what makes them different. Evidence from these two sources will help them answer the Investigation Question.
LW: 2.3.3 INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT You have seen that a light source can emit more than one type of light, and you know that these different types of light cause different changes in materials. But what is it about the different types of light that makes them different? Today you will use the Sim in a new way and make custom light waves. You will make two of the types of light that you read about in the Harvesting Sunlight article and compare them side by side. This will help you to understand what makes types of light different. In the Light Waves Simulation we will use the Custom Wave feature. Change the light source to CUSTOM and press EDIT WAVE and explain that students will use the Custom Wave feature in the Sim Mission.
LW: 2.3.3 INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT
LW: 2.3.3 INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT
LW: 2.3.3 INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT Press EDIT WAVE to review the light you made. Compare the type of light you made with the type of light your partner made and discuss the following: How are the two types of light different?
LW: 2.3.3 INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT As you used the Custom Wave feature in the Sim, you probably noticed an image of a wave that changed as you changed amplitude and wavelength. That is because light is a wave. You may already be familiar with other waves, like sound waves or ocean waves. All of these waves move energy from one place to another. Light carries energy because it is a wave.
LW: 2.3.3 INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT We first defined light as something that carries energy from one place to another. This is a more accurate definition. Light is a special type of wave that does not need any matter to travel through. It can travel through empty space. Waves like sound waves or ocean waves can only move through matter. Sound needs material like air molecules to travel through, and ocean waves need water to travel through.
LW: 2.3.3 VIDEO: THE SHAPE OF WAVES The teacher plays a video showing the properties of waves. (5 min) The Shape of Waves will help students to understand how waves carry energy.
LW: 2.3.4 REFLECTING ON WAVE PROPERTIES As discussed in the video, frequency is the number of peaks of a wave that pass in a second. A higher frequency means that more peaks pass in a second and lower frequency means that fewer peaks pass in a second. Frequency is a property of waves, often used when talking about sound. Because we are studying light in this unit, we will not focus on frequency.
LW: 2.3.4 REFLECTING ON WAVE PROPERTIES Are the amplitudes of the two waves the same or different? Different, because the wave on top is shorter. Are the wavelengths of the two waves the same or different? The same, the distance from peak to peak is the same. If these two waves were light waves, would they be the same type of light or different types of light? The same, because their wavelengths are the same.
LW: 2.3.4 REFLECTING ON WAVE PROPERTIES We have been investigating properties of waves so that we can answer the Investigation Question, What makes types of light different? We have gathered evidence that wavelength is what makes types of light different. If we change the wavelength, the type of light changes. If we change the amplitude, it is still the same type of light, but the light gets brighter or more intense.
LW: 2.3.4 REFLECTING ON WAVE PROPERTIES
LW: 2.3.5 HOMEWORK Reading Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream Answer Here Answer Here