Product Code:
OPTIC0031
Description:
HOO Module 6: Communicating on a Beam of Light -Where would astronomy be without Galileo and his telescope? Where would
physics be without Newton breaking light into its colors with his prism?
“My heart leaps up when I behold/A rainbow in the sky,” wrote William
Wordsworth. Where would we humans be without our love affair with
rainbows and light? Questions like these are the impetus behind the
National Science Foundation-funded program Hands-On Optics: Making an
Impact with Light. Hands-On Optics (HOO) brings optics education to
middle school students through hands-on activities. We are pleased to be
able to bring our modules to schools. The kits were developed by a team
from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the Optical Society of
America, and the International Society for Optical Engineering and were
extensively field-tested in classrooms and museums across the country.
The NSF has funded the development of six modules, suitable for use in
classrooms, after-school programs, or museum settings. Each module
focuses on a different area of optics and contains enough material for a
class of students to engage in interesting hands-on optics activities.
The modules are designed to be exploratory in nature and are
inquiry-based. These activities have been classroom tested and are
aligned with national science, math and technology standards. Teacher
demonstration equipment is also included in each module. Module 6 —
Communicating on a Beam of Light. Students continue their exploration of
light with a kinesthetic activity illustrating why light has different
colors and the special properties of laser light. They learn about Morse
code and how it is used for communication. Students assemble and test
their own laser communication system capable of transmitting their
voices or music from an MP3 player several hundred feet!
Specification:
HOO Module 6: Communicating on a Beam of Light
