Labs for Light Waves and Color

Lesson Plans || Learning Outcomes and Activities || Teacher Notes || Labs

 

We have a collection of ~150 labs in the Laboratory section of the website. Each lab was intended to be used with a lab notebook where students report their data and findings and state their conclusion with supporting evidence and reasoning. The intent was to provide a relatively clear purpose (or question) to students that they would need to address AND to limit the amount of directions. The hope is that the purposes and students' ability to design a procedure would drive the lab activity (in contrast to a detailed set of step-by-step procedures being the driving force of students' activity). As such, each of our labs comes with a Question and Purpose and a short paragraph describing what should be included in students' lab report. On occassion, students are also provided a graphic organizer, data table, or other item to be taped into their notebook. The following pages may be useful for those teachers who wish to adopt or simply trial our Labs with a Purpose approach:

Our Thoughts on the Approach || About Lab Notebooks || Teacher Guides for All Labs


 

Lab 1: Diluted by Distance

Question:
What is the mathematical equation relating the illuminance on a surface and the distance between the surface and the source?

Purpose:
To determine the mathematical equation relating the illuminance (E) on a surface and the distance (d) the surface is from a light source.

A complete lab write-up includes a Title, a Purpose, a Data section, a Conclusion and a Discussion of Results. The Data section and Conclusion section are similar to other labs performed this year; review the Wait! Hmmm. Gee. Lab (Newton's Laws Unit), F-m-a Lab (Newton's Laws Unit), Stopping Distance Lab (Energy Unit), How Much? Lab (Refraction Unit). The Discussion of Results section should include a discussion of how the experimentally-derived equation was developed. It should be compared to a theoretical equation found in a textbook or online site.

View: Teacher's Guide

Lab 2: Taking Away From RGB

Question:
What is the result of mixing primary pigment colors and what strategy could be used for predicting such results?

Purpose:
To observe the result of mixing primary pigment colors and to summarize the results using seven color subtraction principles.

A complete lab write-up includes a Title, a Purpose, a Data section, a Conclusion/Discussion. The Data section should include labeled color diagrams with colored markers being used to add the primary pigments. The Conclusion/Discussion should describe the seven possibilities and explain what each pigment or combination of pigments subtracts from RGB light.

View: Teacher's Guide

Lab 3: M and Ms

Question:
What color do specific objects appear when white, red, blue, green, magenta, yellow, and cyan light is incident upon them? And how can the incident-absorbed-reflected model be used to explain the color appearance?

Purpose:
To observe the color appearance of several objects under different colors of incident light and to explain the appearance using the incident-absorbed-reflected model.

A complete lab write-up includes a Title, a Purpose, a Data section, a Conclusion/Discussion of Results. The Data section should include a table with a row for each M&M and a column to indicate its color appearance when illuminated with each of the seven possible incident light colors. The Conclusion/Discussion should include a thorough discussion of how the incident-absorbed-reflected model can explain the color appearance. Diagrams should accompany the explanations.

NOTE: A virtual version of this lab was created during the pandemic and is available in our Interactives section. See Viewed in Another Light.

View: Teacher's Guide
(None available; actual labs will be included in Course Package)

Lab 4: Filtering Away

Question:
What is the result of looking at various light colors through colored filters and what strategy could be used for predicting such results?

Purpose:
To observe the effect which various filters and combinations of filters have upon the incident light and to describe a useful strategy for predicting the results.

A complete lab write-up includes a Title, a Purpose, a Data section, a Conclusion/Discussion of Results. The Data section should include the provided table of observations. The Conclusion/Discussion should include a thorough discussion of a strategy used to predict what the result will be when a specific filter is used to filter a specific color of incident light.

URL: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/lab/light/filters.cfm

View: Teacher's Guide || Data Table

Also Available ...

1. Task Tracker Subscription (annual purchase)
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2. The Solutions Guide
   We publish a free curriculum with >200 ready-to-use Think Sheets for developing physics concepts. The Solutions Guide is a download containing the source documents, PDFs of source documents, and answers/solutions in MS Word and PDF format. An expanded license agreement is included with the purchase. (Cost: $25 download)
    
3. Teacher Presentation Pack
   This is a large collection of downloadable content packed with nearly 190 Microsoft PowerPoint slide decks, the corresponding Lesson Notes (as PDF and fully-modifiable MS Word format), about 170 animations (in .gif, .png, and .mp4 file formats), a countless number of ready-to-use images (including the original source documents that would allow for easy modification of those images), and a license that allows teachers to modify and use all the content with their classes on password-protected sites (such as course management systems).  (Cost: $40 download)
    
4. Question Bank
   We distribute a Question Bank that includes more than 9300 questions neatly organized according to topic. The Question Bank is the perfect tool for busy teachers or new teachers. Even if you don't use the website with your classes, the Question Bank will assist you in quickly putting together quizzes, tests and other documents with high-quality questions that target student's conceptions of physics principles. And if you do use The Physics Classroom website, the Question Bank is the perfect complement to the materials found at the website. (Cost: $25 download)