Light Energy Review

A student is sitting at her desk one day, and notices that the lights in her classroom have a cover over them. She wonders if these covers affect the light in any way, and decides to plan an investigation to find out if they are transparent or translucent. Which of the choices below is an investigation and will give her accurate results?

• She can do research on the internet to see if the company who builds the covers tells if they are transparent or translucent on their website.

• She can turn off the lights and try to see through the cover, deciding if the objects on the other side look clear or not.

• She can interview the workers who installed the ceiling, asking if they use transparent or translucent covers.

• She can take off one of the covers and shine a light through the cover, looking at the light carefully on both sides.

Students observe how light interacts with different materials and record what they see in a data table. Which material would be entered into the empty box on the data table?

• Cardboard

• Glass

• Metal

• Cloth

On his way home from school, a student notices a car with dark, tinted windows: He wonders if the windows he is seeing are translucent or opaque, and plans the following investigation to find out: Step 1 - Shine a laser pointer at the window from outside the car. Step 2 - Look through the window to see if the laser’s light is shining inside the car. Which of the following choices would improve his investigation?

• Change step 1 - he should use a flashlight instead of a laser pointer

• Change step 1 - he should look to see if he can see through the window

• Change step 2 - he should look to see if he can see the laser on the outside of the window

• Change step 2 - he should look at how the laser pointer’s light looks from inside the car

Jonathan wants to build a doghouse for his new puppy. His puppy will be living in the backyard. He uses a flashlight to test the following materials: frosted plastic, wood, and glass. He wants to make sure the material he uses will keep his puppy shaded and cool during the day. Below are his observations from his flashlight test. Material | Observations Frosted plastic | Let some light in Wood | Blocked all light Glass | Let all light in Which of the following materials should be used to keep his puppy as cool as possible during the day?

• Frosted plastic

• Wood

• Glass

Students want to explore how light interacts with different materials. Which of the following investigations would BEST allow students to see how light interacts with different types of materials to classify them?

• Take three different types of flashlights to see the amount of light that shines through a piece of construction paper.

• Take three different types of flashlights to see the brightness of light when turned on in a dark classroom.

• Take three different types of materials such as: cardboard, wood, and a thick blanket to see the amount of light that shines through it when placed under a flashlight.

• Take three different types of materials such as: aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and white paper to see the amount of light that shines through it when placed under a flashlight.

Students conducted an experiment to classify different types of materials as opaque, transparent, or translucent. Which of the following charts correctly classifies the materials?

• Opaque: Aluminum foil; Transparent: Glass; Translucent: A leaf

• Opaque: Glass; Transparent: Aluminum Foil; Translucent: A leaf

• [No chart shown]

• [No chart shown]

Based on her experiment, what can Michelle explain about light?

• Light travels through all objects but through some better than others.

• Light can travel through some objects and is absorbed by others.

• Light only stops traveling when in contact with wood.

• Light only travels through clear objects like glass.

Abbey wants to compare how the backyard of her house looks through three different types of windows. Which of the following is she most likely comparing?

• The color of the backyard

• The view through each window

• The size of the backyard

• The number of windows

Fill in the blank: An example of an opaque material is ___.

• aluminum foil

• clear glass

• wax paper

• plastic wrap

Fill in the blank: An example of a transparent material is ___.

• a leaf

• a wooden door

• a brick wall

• a glass window