Principal Sponsors
Makes grants to address the most serious social and environmental problems facing society, where risk capital, responsibly invested, may make a difference over time.
National Science Foundation
An independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science.
King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
Bending Light
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Explore bending of light between two media with different indices of refraction. See how changing from air to water to glass changes the bending angle. Play with prisms of different shapes and make rainbows.
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Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Snell's Law
- Light
- Refraction
Sample Learning Goals
- Explain how light bends at the interface between two media and what determines the angle.
- Apply Snell’s law to a laser beam incident on the interface between media.
- Describe how the speed and wavelength of light changes in different media.
- Describe the effect of changing wavelength on the angle of refraction.
- Explain how a prism creates a rainbow.
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bending Light Exploration Lab
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Cynthia Bordash | K-5 | Lab | 3/2/13 |
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Refraction Investigation
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John Macuk | HS | Lab | 5/7/12 |
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Bending Light -Refraction and Reflections
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Danny Rehn | UG-Adv UG-Intro |
Lab HW |
7/18/11 |
Wave unit (Inquiry Based)
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Trish Loeblein | HS UG-Intro |
Demo Lab CQs |
8/7/11 |
| Snell's law Lab - Inquiry based | Argirios Paschos | HS | Lab | 3/29/13 |
| Laboratorio de Refracción | Jesús Alfredo Mantilla Lobo | HS | Lab | 8/2/12 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Related Simulations
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
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Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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