Skip to main content
SCIENCE Light and Sound
Natural Light Light made  naturally  by the  sun Day 1
Artificial Light Light originating from a man made source. *Light made by a  battery  or  electricity.
Darkness Absence of light
Light travels in a  straight  lines . It can go in all directions from its source, but it goes in a straight path in all those directions.
Day 1 note 1.Light is a form of energy that travels in  straight lines. 2.Light and sound are both  forms  of  energy. 3.Light can move through  matter  or  empty space . 4. Light travels in a  straight  line.
Reflection Light that bounces off an object like a  mirror  or  shiny materials Mirrors reflect light at the same angle that the light strikes them. This works the same way as a ball bouncing off from a flat surface. Day 2
When a mirror reflects light, it reverses the image.
Reflection animated reflection   manipulating light     (scroll down to 3 rd  image )
Day 2 Notes Light travels in a straight line, but goes in  all  directions from its source. 3. Mirrors reflect light at the same  angle  that the light strikes them. 4. When a mirror reflects light, it  reflects  the image.
More  Refraction When light moves from the air to the water it slows down. When a beam of light enters water at an angle, the light bends. When a beam of light enters water straight on, it does NOT bend. Refracted light can make an object seem to be in two parts
Refraction The  bending  of light when it moves from one kind of  matter  to another When light moves from one material to another it changes speed, this causes the beam of light to bend Day 3
EXTRA Interesting fact: Mirages   On a hot day, you can sometimes see what looks like a pool of water on the ground – even though the ground is completely dry. In fact, the "pool" is caused by  refracted  light from the sky. The air close to the ground becomes hotter and, therefore, less dense than the air higher up. This change in density causes light from the sky to be bent upward so that it reaches your eyes from the direction of the ground. The effect is called a MIRAGE and is common on hot roads, in deserts, as well as the sky. Mirages of distant objects on the horizon, such as mountains, may be seen.
C O L O R White light has all the colors of the rainbow in it.  The color of an object is the color that it reflects back  for us to see, the other colors are absorbed.
Visible Spectrum The 7 colors of light that people can see ROYGBIV
Prism A solid object that bends light (refraction) As white light enters the prism, its speed changes. The change in speed causes the beam of light to bend.  All of the colors in the white light have different wavelengths. They are bent at different angles, so that the colors separate.
Rainbows “ERRRE” Water can act as a prism, producing rainbows How does this happen? Sunlight  enters  a raindrop The sunlight is  refracted  as it passes through the water The sunlight is  reflected  from the raindrop’s back wall. The sunlight is  refracted  again Sunlight  exits  through the front of the raindrop
Poems for “Roy G Biv” Prism in the Window I wake to light Color falls on color Falling through glass I hear cymbal sound Colors splintering and clashing breaking into rainbow dust In the air. Shattering into seven The noise of morning sunlight rainbow chimes! Being smashed apart PRISM Wakes me This is my alarm!
Light – Day 3: Reflection and Refraction 1.Light waves are  straight  or bent, depending on the object they come in contact with. 2. Some of the light energy that hits an object is  absorbed. *Objects of different color absorb different amounts of light. 3.  Dark  objects absorb more light energy than light-colored objects.
4. Because dark objects absorb more light energy,  light-colored   clothes keep you cooler on a bright summer day. 5. Objects don’t absorb all the light that hits them. Some of the light bounces off. This bouncing off of light from a surface is called  reflection.   6. Light usually scatters in many directions as it is  reflected .
7. The bending of light as it moves from one material to another is called  refraction. 8 . A refracted beam of light seems to as it changes directions. 9.  White  light has all the colors in the rainbow. 10. You can separate white light into colors by using a  glass   prism. .
11. As white light enters the prism, it’s  speed  changes. 12. The change in speed causes the light to  bend. 13. All the colors in the white light have different  wavelengths 14. The different wave lengths of white light are bent at  different angles  which causes the colors to separate.
Absorption When light hits an object, the object can absorb the light, make it bounce off, or let it pass through. White  is  ALL  colors  Reflected Black  is the  Absorption  of  ALL  color Light colors reflect more light than dark colors, that is why in the summer light colors feel cooler. Day 4
 
Light Notes:  Day 5 1. Which absorbs more heat - light or dark colors?  2.  Black  is ALL colors REFLECTED. 3.  White  is the ABSORPTION of ALL colors. 4. The color of an object is the color that it  reflects  back for us to see. All of the other colors are  absorbed.
Transparent Allow light to pass through easily, neither reflecting or absorbing much light  You can see a clear image when you look through a transparent object Leaves NO shadow Day 5
Translucent Objects allow only some light to pass through them You can tell that there is something on the other side, but it is not clear. You can only see blurry objects. They cast a light or “fuzzy” shadow.
Opaque Reflect or absorb all light, do not let any light through They cast a dark shadow You cannot see things on the other side.
Light - Day 4 The following characteristics describe  transparent  objects.  They allow light to pass through  easily,  neither reflecting or absorbing much light. You can see a  clear  image when you look through them. They leave  no  shadow.
2 .  The following characteristics describe  translucent  objects. They allow only  some  light to pass through them. You can tell there is something on the other side, but it is not  clear.  You can only see  ??  Objects. They cast a  light  or  fuzzy  shadow.
3. The following characteristecs describe  opaque  objects. They reflect or absorb  all  light; do not let  any  light through. They cast a  dark  shadow. You  canNOT  see things on the other side.
4. List 3 examples of transparent objects: 5. List 3 examples of translucent objects: 6. List 3 examples of opaque objects:
Convex Lenses Make light rays bend close together towards a central point (the thickest part) Magnifies the object to make it look larger than the original object It might also make the image appear to be upside down, this happens when the light rays cross. Day 6
More convex lenses They are thicker in the middle than the edges Light moves into lens, then bends toward thickest part (middle)
Con cave  lenses Make the light rays spread out and make objects look smaller. They are thinner in the middle than at the edges and curve inwards. Light enters and bends toward thickest part (ends) Used to correct near-sightedness (can’t see far away) Help make details look clearer Not as common as convex lenses, but the two are often combined to improve the details The image always stays upright
Concave Lens examples Eyeglasses have one convex and one concave surface that work together to bend the light just the right amount before it gets to your eyes
Light: Day 6 Convex  lenses are thicker in the middle and  magnify  objects. The rays of light pass through the lens and bend toward the thickest part. Objects appear to be larger.
Con cave   lenses are thicker on the edges than in the middle (curve inward). As light waves enter the lens, they bend toward the thickest part and make objects look smaller and clearer than they are.Concave lenses make the light rays spread out. Objects through a concave lense are always upright.
Sound Sound is a form of energy that travels through the air. Sound is made when something vibrates Vibration is the back and forth movement of matter, which is the beginning of sound Click on the sound wave picture to take you to a short video, “What is sound?” http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/education/video/sound_vid.htm Day 7
Vibration causes particles in the air to be pushed quickly (compression). The push stops but it has caused a sound wave that travels to bring the sound to our ears.
Our ears detect the sound wave through the ear’s eardrum and some nerves, then send the signals to our brain. Our brain tells us what sound was just heard. Our brain can quickly identify many different sounds.
Sound Day 1 Notes (day 7) 1.Sound is a form of energy that travels through the  air  as  waves . 2. Sound is  vibration  you can hear. 3. The loudness ofsound is called  volume.  The volume of sound is measured in units called  decibels. Sound-  energy that travels through matter in waves in  high  and  low  pressure. Vibration-  A quick  back  and  forth  movement of matter
waves Click on link 215-41_l.mov Sound waves are the way sound travels. Sound travels in compression waves, similar to the slinky activity. click here Day 8
Different Waves Click here  to see demonstrations of sound waves
Sound Notes – Day 2 1. Sound travels through the air as  compression   waves. 2. Sound has to travel through a  medium. 3. Sound travels  fastest  through  steel.  Sound travels  slowest  through  air. 4. What form of matter is left?  Air  Vibrations move by traveling from place to place. In air, the sound moves between the air particles, the particles vibrate where they are. This is why you can still hear sounds even though the wind is not blowing.
5.Amplitude  is the measure of the amount of energy in a sound wave. Sound Waves – Compression wave that carries energy through matter Loudness – Amount of sound energy
Amplitude –  this is the measure of the amount of energy in a sound wave, the more energy the higher the volume ( loudness of a sound ) What is too loud? Click  on me to find out…
 
How does sound change? Test your range… How High can you sing????? How Low can you sing????? Brainpop-sound  video American Idol Vocal Range Competition
How does sound travel? Sound travels through any type of matter. The matter that carries the sound wave is called a  medium . The speed of sound depends on the medium through which it is moving. It does not depend on how loud or soft, how high or low. Sound also moves faster in warm air, solids and liquids and is slower in cold air and gases.
ECHO An echo happens when sound bounces off a surface You can get an idea of the speed of sound if you live near a cliff, mountain, or large building that makes a good echo. The delay between the original noise (a clap for example) and its echo is the time it has taken the sound to travel there and back.
What is pitch? Pitch is a measure of how high or low a sound is’ Pitch depends on how fast the source of the sound is vibrating, this is called  frequency Sounds with a high pitch have a high frequency Sounds with a low pitch have a low frequency
String instruments Which instrument will have a higher sound?  Why? What will happen if you loosen one of the strings on you cello?
Drums Which drum will have the highest sound?
Are Pitch and Loudness different?? Why or Why not? Why are some sounds louder than others??? Do You Know???
1.Wavelength  is the distance between two compressions (points) of a sound wave. 2.  Frequency  is measured as the number of  vibrations  per  second . It determines the  pitch  of a sound. 3.  Pitch  is a measure of how high or low a sound is. It depends on how fast the source of a sound is vibrating and changes based on the nature and length of the vibrating object. High  frequency  (small space between waves) = high  pitch. Low  frequency  (long space between waves)= l ow  pitch
4.  Amplitude  is  a measure of the amount of energy in a sound wave. It can be seen in the height of a sound wave and it determines  volume . High  amplitude  (tall waves) =  loud  volume Low  amplitude  (short waves) =  soft  volume.