This week we learned about light and how it travels through water. First we looked at a ruler submerged in a cup of water. At the point of where the ruler hit the water the ruler seemed to expand in width. My group and I predicted this was because the glass/water magnified the ruler. We then put a ruler in a large, flat basin. It almost looked like the water was making the ruler bend. Later on i learned this was called refraction which means when light bends as it hits water or glass.
We also learned about two seperate hypotheseis about light. Isaac Newton believed that light travels in particles which when was tested soon proved to be wrong. Huygens believed that light travels in waves which is what we are testing currently in class. We believe that when light is about to go in water it is going fast and when light hits the water it refracts and goes slower. Then when its goes past the glass or water it starts to go at a fast speed again in the same angle it was going before it hit the water.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
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Matt, this is a good entry. But you need to make a great one! I like that you shared the two science ideas of the wave models of light. You also explained a bit of the process of how you learned these ideas.
ReplyDeleteOnce you answer the third question - why these ideas are important, please email me to let me know. That way I can give you full credit.