Focus ideas

The focus ideas are:

• the occurrence and the effects of dispersion of light
• how colours are used to produce colour images
• colour filters and how they affect light
• the use of prisms to disperse light and produce spectra
• the relationship between colour of light and energy
• scattering of light
• light, colour and electromagnetic waves.

Choice

Those items in italics are optional.

Introductory activity: An introduction to the colours of the visible spectrum and to the nature of coloured images
Activity 1: An examination of how light is affected when it passes through coloured transparent materials.*
Activity 2: An examination of the range of colours we can see*
Activity 3: An investigation of the colours of the rainbow**
Activity 4: An investigation of the energy of the colours of the spectrum***
Activity 5: An investigation of the effects of the scattering of light***
Activity 6: Reading about the nature of light***
Summary: A closing discussion

Managing the activities

The structure of Part 6: Colour leads the students through an exploration of rainbows and other spectra, and an exploration of colour images and colour filters, before going on to the more theoretical aspects of dispersion and colour.

These activities can be carried out in several ways:

• You can choose those activities that best suit the level of past experience of your students.
• You can choose the activities that best suit the student outcome statements for your state or territory.
• Your students can choose which activities they wish to do based on their interest and their understanding.

The stars *** indicate the starting level of difficulty of each activity. Not every activity needs to be completed by all students.