Bending Light PhET: Intro and Prisms

DIRECTIONS: Click on the "Intro" button to launch the first part of the sim. It defaults to a red laser pointing at an angle. Click the red button, but do no adjust aything else. Before doing anything, carefully study what is happening and then answer the following:

QUESTION: What happens to most of the laser's light when it enters the water? What you see happening in the water is called REFRACTION.

• The ray is bent downwards.

• The ray is bent upwards.

• The ray continues in a straight line.

• The ray disappears.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

QUESTION: What property of water causes some of the ray's energy to bounce off its surface?

• Water absorbs light.

• Water refracts light.

• Water reflects light.

• Water transmits light.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

DIRECTIONS: Read the following–Albedo is a measurement of how reflective a surface is. It is used in many ways by many scientists. Climatologists, for instance, use it to measure how much solar energy is reflected by the Earth's surface into its atmosphere. This is important data for understanding such things as climate change.

QUESTION: Based on your answer to the previous question, which substance's surface had the greatest albedo?

• Air

• Water

• Glass

• Mystery A

• Mystery B

DIRECTIONS: Humidity measures how much water vapor is in the air. Carefully study how the light reflects (bounces off of) and refracts (bends) as it passes from air to air and air to water.

QUESTION: Based on your observed evidence, which of the following CLAIMS is arguably the most correct? (Hint: you may want to explore some of the other tools in the "More Tools" tab if you are unsure)

• The sim defaults to air with a high water content (high humidity).

• The sim defaults to air with no water content
  (no humidity).

• The sim defaults to air with a high water content (high humidity).

• There is not enought information to make a claim about humidity.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

DIRECTIONS: Of the options listed, which are EVIDENCE that supports the claim you chose on the previous question?

• There was no refraction or reflection in the air to air scenario.

• There was no refraction or reflection in the air to water scenario.

• There was refraction and reflection in the air to water scenario.

• There was was refraction and reflection in the air to air scenario.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

WRITE: Explain (reason) how your evidence supports your claim.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

EVIDENCE: Select the evidence listed below that best supports your claim about the identities of the two mystery materials from the previous question.

• Mystery A's properties were most similar to air and B's to water.

• Mystery A's properties were most similar to water and B's to air.

• Mystery A's properties were most similar to glass and B's to water.

• Mystery A's properties were most similar to water and B's to glass.

• Mystery A's properties were most similar to air and B's to glass.

REASONING: Explain how the evidence you selected on the previous question supports your claim about the identities of mystery materials A & B.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

DIRECTIONS: Set up the prisms sim as shown in the image to the left. Make sure you have the laser pointer on the right selected (white light), turn it on, and observe what happens.

QUESTION: Based on your observations, what color(s) of light make(s) up white light?

• No colors, just white light

• All colors of visible light

• High energy colors

• Low energy colors

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

WRITE: Water droplets suspended in the air can behave like prisms. Knowing this, explain what visible color of light is produced by the sun and how water in the air can turn this into a rainbow.