Students observe colors in the flame of a burning candle to explore connections between matter, light, color, and temperature — basic concepts of matter and energy.
Students measure the angles of refraction of laser light traveling through gelatin, then plot their data to calculate the gelatin’s index of refraction.
In this activity, students learn about the different telescopes and instruments that are available at McDonald Observatory using the "What Are Astronomers Doing" web site.
In this experiment, students construct an equilateral triangle using graph paper, pencil, protractor and a ruler. They also make a "laser triangle" using a laser pointer and front-silvered mirrors.
This lesson guides students to build a spectroscope, use it as tool, and interpret their observations by applying concepts of conservation of energy and properties of matter.
9-12: Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC), Physics, and Astronomy
