Light and Sound

With finishing the Gears unit in K'nex the boys moved into a Light and Sound unit.  So far this has been very informative, easy for Mom (YES!!) and lots of great projects.  We've learned how light bounces (reflections) and bends (refraction), the colours & tricks of light.

In lesson one we learned about a cylindrical mirror and after making one had to decipher a code. We analyzed all the images that happen when you have two mirrors, and made our own periscopes.

Scary how many little people you can see when you look into the big mirror, with a little mirror behind  her.  

In lesson two we experimented with a prism making reflections and rainbows on the ceiling.  We made our own kaleidoscope, which was very cool. (I didn't take a picture - GASP!)  

Lesson three was to learn about the colours of light. They coloured a colour wheel and gave it a spin.

Very cool!! 

They made a pyramid with red, blue, yellow and clear.  Then had to record the resulting colour from all the different combinations.

A bowl covered in different coloured garbage bags, filled with ice.  Which bowl will melt faster?

Lesson four was fantastic.  We made a zoetrope.  I don't think I had ever heard that word before. 

 You look through the bars and spin the picture.  I had Zephan make a "lazy Susan" for us out of Lego and it worked great, helping us to see and understand how the eye & brain can 'trick' us into thinking we're constantly seeing an image.  This little contraption got Zephan's mind spinning.  I'll tell you about that later!!

 

Lesson five started learning about sound.  We made "pan pipes" out of drinking straws.  I could get a "true" note out of this thing but it sure took a lot of air!  We could hear the difference in pitch with just blowing though, so that worked well.

Same with this box guitar.  The strings plucked didn't make the best of sounds but it was very clear that varied amounts of vibration produces different sounds.

In lesson six we made a sound scope, which was really wild, to be able to "see" sound.  

Lesson seven was on sound waves and how they travel.  We did an activity, clapping hands the same distance apart in different environments to hear the difference.  ie; in the hallway it echoed.  Outside was hardest to hear, downstairs with carpet, curtains (& junk everywhere) was easier than outside, but quieter than upstairs where it's more open & without carpet.

Lesson eight was great.  We "threw" our voices with a tube, made a megaphone and a silent speaker.   Here Zaraya is listening to the music which is playing through headphones, just loud enough to hear.

After putting the cd player in the big box and stuffing it full of sound proofing materials, that little clear tube Zaraya has goes from the big box into the small box.  The music couldn't be heard, unless you put your ear on the smaller box.

 Zephan being goofy, of course!

And that ended our light and sound science unit.  I was really impressed with this kit.  The boys had vocabulary to jot down in their science notebooks and do a few recordings from experiments.