Let’s Investigate Light

Let’s explore how light travels through materials. Here is what you will need:

Flashlight
3 types of cups any colors

Now, click through the slides below to do an investigation about light.

Predict: Let’s start with the first cup. Make a prediction. What do you think will happen to the light when you shine the flashlight on the side of the cup? Do you think this cup is transparent, translucent, or opaque?

Test: Turn off the lights and see what happens when you shine the flashlight on the cup.

A flashlight titled light with rays of rainbow colored lines coming out of it. The lines all pass through a rectangle labeled transparent.

Results: All the light from the flashlight goes through the cup. This clear cup is transparent. That means all the light can pass through.

Predict: Let’s try the next cup. Make a prediction. What do you think will happen to the light when you shine the flashlight on the side of the cup?

Test: Turn off the lights and see what happens when you shine the flashlight on the cup.

flashlight's light filtering through translucent object.

A flashlight titled light with rays of rainbow colored lines coming out of it. The lines all pass through a rectangle labeled translucent, but are faded.

Results: Only some of the light from the flashlight goes through the cup. This cup is translucent. That means some of the light can pass through.

Predict: Let’s try the last cup. Make a prediction. What do you think will happen to the light when you shine the flashlight on the side of the cup?

Test: Turn off the lights and see what happens when you shine the flashlight on the cup.

flashlight's light does not go though opaque object.

A flashlight titled light with rays of rainbow colored lines coming out of it. The lines all stop at a rectangle labeled opaque.

Results: None of the light from the flashlight goes through the cup. This cup is opaque. That means none of the light can pass through.

An image of several school supplies such as calculator, pen, scissors, pencils, notebooks, paperclips next to a backpack.

Extend: What other materials are transparent, translucent, and opaque? Try this experiment with materials you can find around your classroom or home. Shine the flashlight on the material. What happens to the light?

Slide:

Question

What are the two types of materials that light can travel through?

The two types of materials are transparent and translucent.

Learning Coach —

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Let’s Investigate Light

How can you investigate light?

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