Kimberly Harris

Kimberly Harris

Sharondia McCarter

Lalaine Harris

Summer Science Institute 2010 - Physics

Objective: Students will conduct inquiries in order to observe how light waves work.

Materials: Three identical objects. A plane mirror, a concave mirror, a convex mirror, concave and convex lenses, black paper, a flashlight, a flexible mirror, white paper and a light source, meter stick and tables.

Engagement: Sit one of three identical objects in front of each mirror: plane, concave and convex. Ask students what they notice. They should notice that although the object is the same, it looks different in each mirror. Ask the students why they think that is. Write all ideas on the board.

Intro to Exploration:

Discuss with students that objects are seen because of light traveling to our eyes. Explain that light travels in waves. Discuss the terms plane, concave, convex, converging and diverging. Discuss real and virtual images

Exploration: Students will work in four different stations.

Station 1

Students will work with a flexible plane mirror, a concave mirror and a convex mirror to determine, which mirror will produce the desired affect

Task / Was mirror held
Horizontally or Vertically / Convex, Concave or Plane
Making a thinner you
Making an upside down you
Making a fatter you
Making a longer you
Making a shorter you
Widening the view of the room

Station 2

Students will classify whether plane, concave of convex mirrors would be best for specific situations

a)  Security mirror in a store ______

b)  Satellite dish ______

c)  Bathroom mirror ______

d)  Inner surface of a spoon ______

e)  Outer surface of a spoon ______

f)  Rearview Mirror______

g)  Passenger side mirror in a car______

h)  Driver’s side mirror in a car ______

i)  Make-up mirror______

Station 3

Students will find focal point and focal length using converging, diverging lenses placed on a meter stick.

Explain to students that a focal point might not be found.

Type of lens / Image as you look through the lens / Focal length / Real or virtual image

Students will find the focal length by moving the light bulb toward a white sheet of paper using each lens until they see a bright spot on the paper, measure the distance from the light to the paper. Then the student will move the paper toward the light at varying focal lengths until a clear image appears and describe the image.

Situation / Lens position from light bulb / Enlarged, reduced, true size, nonexistent, upside down, straight up
1 / Focal length ______
2 / 1.5X Focal length______
3 / 2X Focal length______
4 / 3X Focal length______

Station 4

Put three pin holes about 1 cm from the bottom of a sheet of heavy black paper. Holes should be about .5 cm apart. Place a flashlight behind the paper so that three pin lights are visible. If the flashlight does not work try an LCD projector.

Place the plane mirror so that the rays reflect. Draw a picture how the reflected rays look. Do the same thing with concave and convex mirrors.

Type of mirror / Drawing of incoming and reflecting rays / Real or virtual

Explanation: Again discuss with students why the images of the identical objects are different, the idea that the shape of the mirrors and the angle of the light rays should come up.

Elaboration: Class can now discuss why would we want to use a converging lens, a diverging lens, a plane mirror, a concave or convex mirror?

Evaluation: Have students find at least three real examples of each type of mirror or lens, where they saw it and how it was used.