Refraction of Light

This scene lets students explore refraction. The giant living room allows students to observe refraction by looking at the optical illusion created by the fish tank on the objects inside. Students will develop knowledge of what refraction is and they will use the ray boxes set up on the dresser and the pictures around the scene to develop their understanding of what causes refraction of light and how it affects what we see in the fish tank. Along with this, they will explore how rainbows are produced by observing the refraction by the prism o the dresser.

# Learning objectives

1: Know that Light Travels at Different Speeds Within Solids, Liquid and Gasses {.info}

2: Know the Laws of Refraction and How Light Bends {.info}

3: Know that Light is Made of Different Colours and Can be Split Using Refraction{.info}

# Light Speed {.objective .objective1}

Students will learn how light energy travels as a wave. They will explore how different mediums: solids, liquids and gases affect the speed of light when light waves cross the boundary between one medium to another, due to the difference in density of each medium. Students will be asked to observe the fish tank from different positions and to think about how the objects inside look or appear. They will observe and will be asked to think about the stick and why it may appear bent or broken. They will think about how the water and glass from the tank is a different medium to the air around it.

# Which Direction? {.objective .objective2}

Here students will learn the Law of Refraction and how light waves crossing boundaries of different mediums behave. Students will develop an understanding that denser mediums cause light to slow down and bend towards the normal. Also, light emerging from a denser medium to a less dense one, will speed up and bend away from the normal.

Students will be asked to explore the ray box on the dresser and pictures on the wall. They will observe the pathway the light ray takes as it crosses through the glass block and look for clues that refraction has taken place. Mainly comparing the angles of the incident ray and refracted ray, using the normal as a reference

# I Can see a Rainbow {.objective .objective3}

In this part, students will learn that light is made up of 3 primary colours and that it can be separated due to refraction. Prisms and spheres are a good example of objects that will refract light in a way causing the primary colours of light to separate. They will apply this idea and learn how rainbows are formed.

Students will be asked to explore the ray box with the prism and the picture on the TV. They will be asked to observe the order of the colours as light the primary colours are separated and to think about why they may be in this order relative to how much they have been refracted.

# Teacher Resources

### Download Teacher Notes

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/794191/files/Refraction%20of+Light+Teacher+Notes+1.pdf?date=1677585899&size=829296&md5=7816d86d29de50bb7afee63eb695a867)

### Student Quiz Answers Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/794192/files/Refraction%20of+Light+Teacher+Notes+2.pdf?date=1677586015&size=467637&md5=084ca3e15eb3e6b0823a603bafff883c)

### Download Student Quiz Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/794192/files/Refraction%20of+Light+Teacher+Notes+2.pdf?date=1677586015&size=467637&md5=084ca3e15eb3e6b0823a603bafff883c)