Our primary objective for this project is to create a lab activity for future Physical Science students, providing tactile application and experimentation with the concepts of light, color, and the electromagnetic spectrum.

– Students shall demonstrate an understanding of terms such as: light, color, visible spectrum, light absorption, and primary colors of light
– Students shall design and conduct a shadow wall in order to gain understanding about the addition of the primary colors of visible light.

• We hope to better serve the community by:
– Contributing a “Shadow Wall” lab activity to a lab manual which will be used by future students in physical science classes at N.W.A.C.C.
– Creating a meaningful learning activity to motivate inquiry about the nature of light and the visible spectrum, including color.
• Community contact
– Dianne Phillips

• Enhances learning about Physical Science concepts:
– Electromagnetic Spectrum
– Visible Light Region (and primary colors of light)
– Behavior and nature of light
– Ability to understand changes in color of the sky

• We will be using:
– Camera
– Microsoft Word
– Microsoft PowerPoint
– Internet

• Team: furthering our knowledge of physical science, particularly the electromagnetic spectrum
• Individuals: incorporate technology into the learning process, working as a team to achieve our objectives
• Technological: advance our knowledge of Microsoft Office software, learn to use the micro-lights to make shadow walls
• Communication: interpersonal communication skills to reach our objectives through group decision making
• Organizational: take a true team approach to division of labor from research to developing the PowerPoint to final presentation

– Room with dim lights
– White wall or large-scale white paper hung on wall
– Table or stand (or some handy volunteers)
– Two small white light “Maglights”
– Three LED micro-flashlights in red, green, and blue
• www.laughingrabbitinc.com/pphoton_ml2.htm

Alternative
Materials List:
In the absence of color
“micro-lights” and white
“Mag-lights,” the following list makes up faux lights:
• Household Flashlights
• LED Pen lights
• Batteries
• Cellophane in Red,
Green, and Blue
• Saran Wrap in Red,
Green, and Blue
• Scotch Tape
(Experiment with each for results best mimicking micro and Mag-lights)
Flashlights LED Pen Lights

• To produce color shadows based on the experiment description of desired results
• To learn about the electromagnetic spectrum by working through the scientific method
(As shown on “Science Buddies” Website)

1. Ensure “shadow wall” has a white background.
2. Darken the room before mixing green and blue light, guess what color will result. Then turn on the green and blue flashlights and combine the lights on the wall. The color you see on the wall, making of greenish blue is called cyan.
3. Now guess what will happen when you mix green light with red light, test your guess.
4. Guess the result of red light mixed with blue light. Then test your guess.

Red + Blue Lights Red + Green Lights

5. Place the three flashlight on a table, one at each end and one in the middle. The light of all three flashlights should come together on the white wall. Stand between the flashlights and the wall. How many shadows do you have?
6. What colors are they? Experiment by covering or turning off one light at a time. How do the colors of your shadows change?
7. Create circle patterns. With the pencil, trace the circle found on this paper. Make sure the lines are heavy and dark.
8. Turn the patterns over. Keeping the pencil patterns face down, place the patterns on the stiff cardboard. Go over the lines of the patterns with a ballpoint pen. Lift the patterns.
You will see faint circle on the cardboard.

R + B + G= “White”
(All frequencies of light together = a white light)

• Developed two alternative methods to create ‘colored’ lights
• By trial and error, determined LED lights combined with cellophane was more effective than flashlights + cellophane
• Primary colors of light differ from traditional ‘primary’ colors

Number of
Lights
2
2
3
1
2
1
1
Color(s) of Lights red green blue red + green red + blue green + blue red + green + blue
Shadow Count Shadow Color(s)
Wall Color
(Overlapping
Shadows)
Students demonstrated methods of inquiry and observation by utilizing the above data table during “Shadow Wall” experiment.

Low Frequency
Low Energy
Long Wavelengths
High Frequency
High Energy
Short Wavelengths
Electronic Radiation
Radio waves Microwaves X-Rays Gamma Cosmic

Presenting Lesson
(Discussing the nature of light, describing frequency, wavelengths, and relationship to energy across a period of time)
Below:
“Electromagnetic Spectrum
Student Activity”

Kendra Taylor
Aimee Tackett
A Special “Thank You” to Jennifer Echeverri for providing photographs!

"Blue Skies and Red Sunsets." The Physics Classroom . 24 June 2009. 24 Jun 2009
<http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/light/u12l2f.cfm>.
Doherty, Paul. "Colored Shadow Explorations." Scientific Explorations . 22 May 2000. 24 June 2009
<http://isaac.exploratorium.edu/~pauld/summer_institute/summer_day6color/colored_shadow_explorati on.html>.
"IMAGERS - Primary Colors Diagram." 23 03 2007. NASA. 25 Jun 2009
<http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/teachersite/UL1diag.htm>.
Miller, Bob. "A Light-Hearted Discussion." 24 Jun 2009. Exploratorium: The Museum of Science, Art, and Human
Perception. 24 Jun 2009 <http://www.exploratorium.edu/light_walk/intro.html>.
"Technicolor Shadows: Lessons in Light and Color." Science Buddies . 02/05/2009. 12 Jun 2009
<http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Phys_p035.shtml>.