Physics Projects with a Light Box You Can Build »

Does light travel in a straight line? Why do you see three images using only two mirrors? What does a green object look like in red light? Learn to build your own light box with simple materials found around your home. Then it is time to start experimenting! Find answers to these and many other questions, along with great ideas for your own science fair project.

Children's Literature

Young scientists can expand their knowledge of physics by performing some or all of the experiments that are explained in this book. Each of the scientific activities requires a light box, and the first chapter provides directions for building one. Subsequent chapters provide instructions for experiments that reflect light, refract light, or involve lights and colors. Each chapter contains at least five different experiments. The directions for each one are very specific, and each step is written with great detail. Simple diagrams are included to help the reader to understand and follow the steps. Most of the items needed to conduct the experiments can be found around the house. There is an emphasis on safety and, in some cases, adult supervision will be needed. Each experiment has questions that prompt the reader to analyze the results and make conclusions. Some of these questions may even generate ideas for science fair projects. Readers of this book will surely gain an interest in physics, and a few may even seek to learn more about this fascinating topic. Reviewer: Denise Daley

Introduction     5
Science Fairs     7
The Scientific Method     8
Safety List     10
Building a Light Box     12
Making Masks     15
Other Materials You Will Need     22
Reflection of Light, Images, and Shadows     23
The Basic Law of Reflection     24
Where Is the Image in a Plane Mirror?     28
A Model to Explain Mirror Images     31
A Third and Different Image     35
Many Images     38
Reflection and a Concave Mirror     40
Another Kind of Image     45
Shadows: More Evidence That Light Travels in Straight Lines     49
Light, Shadows, and Distance     54
Light Intensity (Brightness)     56
Refraction: The Bending of Light     59
Bending Light     60
Bending Light with a Convex Lens     63
A Model of a Convex Lens     66
Focal Length of a Convex Lens     69
A Better Model of a Convex Lens     72
Using a Convex Lens as a Magnifying Glass     75
A Model of the Human Eye     79
A Rainbow from Your Light Box     81
Light and Color     83
Mixing Light of Different Colors     84
A Shadow with Colored Stripes     87
Mixing a Primary Color with Its Complementary Color     90
Colored Objects in Colored Light     92
Analyzing Color with a Diffraction Grating     95
More About Light and Color     100
Subtracting Colored Light with Liquids     101
Scattering and Colored Light in the Sky     105
Afterimages     110
Mysterious Colored Shadows     113
Science Supply Companies     117
Further Reading     123
Internet Addresses     124
Index     125
About the Author     128