Experiments involving a Light Meter.

Index Properties of a Light Source Polarization and the Sky? How do we know Infra-Red and UV are types of light? !sorption " How well does sunscreen and sunglasses !lock UV light? Reflections " #easuring the reflecti$ity of surfaces %he In$erse S&uare Law Scattering " re all colours e&ual? 'fficiency of Light sources " (luoro) Vapour) Incandescent and L'*s+ Intensity) (lu, and Power " How does a Solar -$en work? *esigning Lighting " desk) roo.) stadiu.) theatre+ *esigning a L'* %raffic Light *istance Sensor Using Light (i!re -ptic /o..unication Sensiti$ity of the Hu.an 'ye+

Properties of Light Sources /oncepts " 0a$elength) (re&uency) Intensity) Polarization) /oherence) Source Size) Source *i$ergence+ '&uip.ent " Various light sources including L'*s) Heat La.p) (lashlight) UV La.p) (ilters for UV) IR) Visi!le colors) polarization Hand-Held Spectroscope Light .eter+ %ask " /o.pare and contrast $arious light sources+ Polarization of Sky /oncepts " Light is a trans$erse wa$e with polarization+ %he two polarizations interact differently+ '&uip.ent " Polarizing (ilters Light #eter /alcite /rystal Light source Sticky tape and other !irefringent .aterials %asks " 0ork out polarization of sky and clouds+ 0ork out polarization of reflections+ Look at 1irefringence+ Use !irefringence to e,a.ine strain+

Are Infra !ed and "# types of Light /oncept " 0hat characteristics of UV and Infra-Red suggest they are types of light? '&uip.ent " UV La.p) UV *iode) IR La.p) IR *iode Shiny .etal surfaces) glass .irrors) lenses) etc+ -pa&ue o!2ects) slits) apertures) etc+ (ilters for IR) Visi!le and UV Light .eter 3to detect light4 (luorescent !eads) screen+ %ask " Students should list properties of light $ersus sound) work out e,peri.ents that differentiate !etween the two) carry the. out and decide if they5$e 6pro$ed7 that UV and IR are light+ ',tension " *iscuss the fa.ous disco$ery of 68-rays7 !y scientists trying to con$ince the.sel$es they could see things they couldn5t+ A$sorption % &o' 'ell does sunscreen 'ork( /oncept " ',a.ine the process of a!sorption of light for $isi!le and UV+ '&uip.ent " Light .eter UV and Visi!le la.ps Sunscreen) sunglasses and $isi!le dyes+ %ask " *oes the $isi!le dye9sunscreen9sunglasses a!sor! all wa$elengths e&ually? !eflections % )hat makes a mirror( /oncept " Reflections can !e specular9diffuse) un9polarized) polychro.atic9.onochro.atic depending on the surface+ '&uip.ent " Light #eter Light sources and coloured filters Reflecti$e surfaces including .irrors) .etals 3copper) alu.iniu.4) wood) paper) dichroic) etc+ %asks " ',a.ine and e,plain difference !etween specular and diffuse scattering+ ',a.ine polarization of reflections+ ',a.ine colour dependence of reflections+ Inverse S*uare La' /oncept " ',peri.entally deter.ine the in$erse s&uare law+ '&uip.ent Light .eter

Ruler and dark tu!e+ Light source %ask " #easure the relationship !etween intensity and distance for a light source+ Scattering % Are all +olors E*ual /oncept " Shorter wa$elengths scatter .ore strongly+ %his is why the sky is !lue+ '&uip.ent " Light .eter /ell for holding water9.ilk .i,tures) Red L'*) :reen L'*)1lue L'*+ %ask " ',a.ine the scattering of light fro. .ilk9water .i,tures at different concentrations+ ',tension " How does ultrasound i.aging work and why can5t it penetrate too far? 0hat is the .a2or effect of fog9.ist9s.og on $isi!ility?

Efficiency of Light sources % ,luoro- #apour- Incandescent and LE.s. /oncept " Light can !e produced !y a .ultitude of .echanis.s+ How do they work) how efficient are they and why do we use the.? '&uip.ent " (luorescent light) 6true colour7 fluorescent) incandescent) sodiu. $apour) L'*) etc+ %ask " Su..arize each light source in ter.s of power) efficiency) spectru.) size) angular distri!ution) etc+ #ake a 6/onsu.er Report7 reco..ending each one for certain applications+ Intensity- ,lux and Po'er % &o' does a Solar /ven 'ork( /oncept " 1y focusing light) the power per unit area can !e changed+ '&uip.ent " Light sources and lenses9.irrors Light .eter %her.o.eter %ask " Use the lenses and light source to deter.ine how hot you can .ake a 6sausage7 with a gi$en light source+ ',tension " S% /'' - %his is a $ast array of plane .irrors focused at a tower to pick up cos.ic ray trails in the night sky+ *uring the dayti.e the array is used as a Solar furnace+ 3eg+ Soleil Solar (urnace in (rance4

rchi.edes fa.ous *' %H R ;+ 0hy do telescopes ha$e such !ig .irrors? Light !uckets+ Villagers in India cannot afford fuel to !urn) !ut need to !oil water to sterilize it and for cooking+ *esign a solar furnace for the.+ .esigning Lighting % desk- room- stadium- theatre. /oncept " Understand how the light needed depends on the situation+ See how to focus and deli$er light appropriately+ '&uip.ent " Spot-light) *ownlight) Stadiu. light) etc+ Little .odel lights to !uild a 6stadiu.7+ Light .eter+ %ask " How .uch power is needed to light a 6stage7? *oes it .atter how high the ceiling is in a roo.? How .uch power does it take to light a school sports stadiu. 3indoor or outdoor+ .esigning a LE. 0raffic Light /oncept " /o.!ine the in$erse s&uare law and hu.an eye sensiti$ity to deter.ine how .any R'*9:R''89;'LL-0 L'*s are needed for an effecti$e traffic light+ '&uip.ent " L'*s L'* traffic light Light .eter+ %ask " Using scaling relationships) design a traffic light that is $isi!le at <==. fro. a straight road+ .istance Sensor "sing Light %ask " ro!ot working in a warehouse needs to detect when it is close to o!2ects to pre$ent collisions+ 1uild a sensor that can detect when it is close to a wall+ ,i$re /ptic +ommunication %ask " Using the co.ponents a$aila!le 3$ery !right L'*s) lenses) filters) cousto-optic .odulators) diffuser) etc+4) !uild an optical co..unication syste. to function under the following circu.stances) i+ !le to work in all light conditions ii+ !le to work o$er the longest distance iii+ !le to .o$e source and recei$er? i$+ Source is unaware of location of recei$er?

Sensitivity of the &uman Eye. /oncept " Learn a!out hu.an eye '&uip.ent " Light sources) 8eutral *ensity (ilters) Light .eter) 1lack cloth and tu!e+ %ask " ',peri.ent to .easure the di..est light you can see+ 1rightest light you can tolerate+ /alculate how close these are to theoretical li.its+ /o.pare to stars in the sky+

,un Exploration 1uestions

>+ 0hat deter.ines the lifeti.e of light !ul!s? <+ 0hat light le$els do hu.ans need? How do we ad2ust to light or dark le$els? ?+ 0hy do ani.als ha$e iris5s? *o they all work the sa.e? How are they regulated? How does the eye doctor .anage to dilate your eye? 0hy do eyes dilate on drugs or when aroused? @+ 0hy do old people ha$e .ore trou!le seeing at night than young people? 0hy did Aapanese sailors prior to 00II ha$e poor night $ision? 0hy is it harder to play sports under lights at night than during the dayti.e? B+ 0hat size light!ul! would !e needed to illu.inate the entire 'arth5s surface at a co.fy early-.orning illu.inance? How !ig a .irrors would !e needed in space to light the !ack side of the earth? C+ How far can you see into space? -l!er5s parado,+