Lessons on Waves, Light & Sound
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
Intro to Waves |
This lessons examines some of the key principles and vocabulary applying to waves. | Slide Show |
| Wave Superposition | Some very clear simulations of waves occupying the same place at the same time: | Simulations (Java) |
| Reflection of Waves | Simulations of a pulse striking a new medium and a periodic wave striking a new medium. | Simulations (Java) |
| The Origin of Light |
This lesson examines where light comes from at the atomic level. It shows both photon creation and photon absorption. | Movie & Explanation |
| Doppler Effect Lab | This interactive lab allows you to see the Doppler effect and experiment with aspects that affect the Doppler effect. Created by Raman Pfaff. | Interactive Lab (Shockwave) |
| Interference Beat Frequency Lab | This interactive lab allows you to hear and experiment with the beat frequency created by the interference of two waves. Created by Raman Pfaff. | Interactive Lab (Shockwave) |
| Interference Patterns Lab | This interactive lab allows you to overlap two patterns to produce a third "interference" pattern that would apply to light, sound or moir� patterns. Created by Raman Pfaff. |
Interactive Lab (Shockwave) |
| Patterned Array Lab | This interactive lab allows you to experiment with a patterned (phased) array to see the effects of interference. Created by Raman Pfaff. |
Interactive Lab (Shockwave) |
| Resonance |
This lesson page has many real life examples of Resonance at work. | Animations & Video (QuickTIme) |
| Resonance in a Tube |
Here are a couple of lessons related to resonance in an open tube or closed tube. | Animations, Simulations & Explanations |
| Single Slit Diffraction Lab |
This interactive lesson illustrates the basic principles behind single slit diffraction. | Interactive Lab (Java) |
| Double Slit Diffraction Dialog on Double Slit Diffraction (Java) |
This lesson illustrates the basic principles behind double slit diffraction. | Slide Show |
| Polarizers |
This lesson demonstrates what polarization of light is and how a polarizer can be used to remove some orientations of light. | Explanation & Movie |
| Reflection Reversed |
A nice video demonstrating that a mirror doesn't reverse left and right, only forward and back. | Video 3:47 |
| Refraction Lesson |
Explanation and animations of refraction | Lesson & Images |
| Index of Refraction |
This lesson illustrates the concept of index of refraction, Snell's law, and critical angle. | Slide Show |
| Frequency, Wavelength, Energy of a Wave |
This is a drill and practice activity. You will be given the frequency, wavelength, or energy of a wave and be asked to calculate the other two. | Drill & Practice (Javascript) |
| Reflection & Refraction | This interactive Java applet allows you to adjust an incoming ray of light and observe reflection, refraction, and internal reflection. It also allows you to switch mediums by Walter Fendt | Interactive Lab (Java) |
| Reflection & Refraction (explained by Huygens' principle) | This lesson shows the basic concepts of reflection and refraction but explains it from the point of view of Huygens' principle. Created by Walter Fendt. |
Interactive Lab (Java) |
| Prism & Refraction Lab | This interactive lab allows you to experiment with a prism and light source with different colors. Snell's law and the index of refraction are also addressed. Created by Raman Pfaff.. |
Interactive Lab (Shockwave) |
| Dispersion Through Plane Glass |
This interactive lesson allows you to manipulate light passing through a plane piece of glass. | Interactive (Java) |
| Total Internal Reflection Lab |
This interactive lab allows you to explore the concept of the critical angle and total internal reflection. Also applies concept to diamonds and fiber optics. | Interactive (Java) Lab & Lesson |
| Spectroscopy |
This lesson demonstrates many of the concepts based on spectroscopy. The visible spectrum, emission spectrum, absorption spectrum, and blue & red shift are all shown. | Pictures & Descriptions |
| Waves Review |
A collection of multiple choice questions providing immediate feedback. | Multiple Choice Practice |
| Optics Lesson Collection |
This contains many lessons related specifically to optics. |
