Basic Light
What path does light travel in?
a straight line
What happens when light bounces off a mirror?
it reflects / bounces back
What happens to light when it passes through water?
it bends
What happens when a black shirt is in sunlight?
it absorbs or takes in the light
A mirror shows your face. What property of light is shown?
reflection
What is a light source?
an object that gives off light
What type of surface reflects light best?
smooth / shiny surface
Why does a straw look bent in water?
light bends through water
Which color absorbs the most light?
the color black
Why do road signs shine at night?
they reflect light from headlights
Can light travel through clear glass?
yes
What tool uses reflection so you can see behind you in a car?
rearview mirror / side mirror
What weather event is caused by refraction of light?
rainbow
Why do dark clothes feel hotter in the sun?
dark colors absorb more light
A flashlight beam hits a wall and bounces back. What happened?
reflection
Name one transparent object.
window, glass, clear plastic
Why can you see yourself in still water?
smooth surface reflects light
What causes light to bend?
change in medium (air to water/glass)
What happens to light when it hits a dark surface?
absorbed / turned into heat
A student shines a laser pointer through a prism and sees red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet light on the wall.
What happened to the light, and why?
The light was refracted and separated into different colors because each color bends differently
A student shines a flashlight through a cardboard tube with a bend in it. No light comes out the other side. Why?
Light travels in straight lines and cannot bend around corners.
Two students are trying to send a beam of light from one side of the room to the other using mirrors.
Why must the mirrors be smooth and angled carefully?
Smooth surfaces reflect light clearly, and the angle changes the direction the light travels.
A student places a spoon in a clear cup of water. The spoon appears broken where it enters the water. Explain why this happens.
Light bends when it moves from air into water, making the spoon appear bent or broken.
Two cars are parked outside all day, one black and one white.
At the end of the day, the black car is much hotter inside. Use the behavior of light to explain why
The black car absorbs more light energy, which turns into heat.
Explain why we see the color why a purple shirt looks purple to the human eye.