This disappearing puddle is called a mirage and is an example of the refraction of light. Mirages are tricks of the atmosphere, optical illusions caused when a layer of air next to the ground becomes superheated from heat stored in the soil or in dark pavement. The boundary between this hot, and therefore less dense air, and the cooler denser air above it bends the light rays that strike it, acting like a giant mirror or lens held parallel to the ground. Whenever light rays travel from one medium to another like from air to water, or water to air, refraction or bending of light occurs. A sunny day A sheet of black construction paper and a sheet of white construction paper Tape Science notebooks Many students may not understand that light is not matter because it does not take up space, has no mass, and is not made of atoms.
Visible light is one form of electromagnetic radiation, which is a form of energy.
Since energy cannot be created or destroyed under ordinary conditions, light energy is often converted into heat energy. This center will investigate the connection between light and heat energy. Students will also be investigating how and why light colors are cooler than dark colors. Students use any or all of the centers to answer the questions they developed before beginning the investigation. Be sure that questions are focused and well-articulated so that students can collect information at the centers.