FLASHLIGHT

CANDLE
FIRE
SUN
STAR
Light
Essential Questions
• How does light
travel?
• What happens when
light strikes an
object?
Experiment Time!
Materials Needed:
Flashlight
Cardboard
Observation Sheet
Scissors
PROCEDURES:
1. Get a flashlight and focus it at a distant or a wall or at
the ceiling. Observe the path of light. Record your
observation.
2. Ask one of your family members to block the path
coming from the flashlight with a cardboard.
3. Get the three cardboards. Make at least 2 inches
diameter hole each on the middle of the cardboards.
4. Ask a family member to hold the 2 cardboards with holes at
stand at least 1 ft. away from each other but the holes from
each cardboard should be aligned in such a way that you could
see the wall though the holes.

5. Focus the flashlight through the first hole. Observe what

happens.

6. Ask the member of your family to misalign the cardboard.

Keep the light aimed at the cardboards. Observe what
happens.
 Questions:
1. Did the light form a straight line when you focused it
on the wall or ceiling without blockage?
2. When you blocked the light with a thick cardboard,
was it able to pass through it? Explain your answer.
3. When you aligned the cardboards with holes, was
the light able to pass through it? Explain your
answer.
4. When one of the cardboards
was not aligned with other
cardboards, was the light able to
pass through? Why is this so?
5. What can you say about the
way light travels?
• Light travels in straight lines.
• When you put your hand in front of a lamp,
some of the straight lines of light hit your hand.
• The shadow on the wall shows where the light is
blocked by your hand.
• When you move your hand, the shadow moves
because your hand blocks different lines of light.
Light Energy

• Did you know that energy is the ability to cause things to

change.
– Ex. The energy in a fire changes a sheet of paper into ashes.
– The heat from a fire can change your hands from cold to warm.
• Light is also a kind of energy.
Light Energy
• Without light energy, you could not
see anything.
– Light gives things colors.
• Light energy can make many
changes.
– The sun shines on the soil, and plants
grow
– Doctors use light energy to perform
operations
– Light energy can make cars move.
– In space, satellites and the space
station use solar cells to change light
energy into electricity.
Reflection
• Reflection is the bouncing of light off
an object.
– Light bounces from a mirror like a
ball bounces from a wall.
– If you roll a ball straight at a wall, it
bounces straight back to you.
– If you roll a ball toward a wall at an
angle.
• Light strikes a mirror at an angle and
bounces to your eyes.
• Light bouncing off a smooth
surface gives an image you can
see.
– A mirror is very smooth.
– So are shiny metal and still water.
– You can see yourself in these things.
• But most things aren’t as smooth
as mirrors. Most things are bumpy.

– When light hits a bumpy surface,

each straight line of light goes off in a
different direction, so you can’t see
an image.
• A mirror can also have a
smooth, curved surface.
Mirrors like this make your
reflection seem bigger or
smaller than you really are.
• Carnival fun houses and
science museums often have
such mirrors on display.
 Refraction
• Refraction is the bending
of light when it travels
from one kind of matter
to another.
• Refraction happens when
light goes through a
surface instead of
reflecting.
• Refraction happens
because light travels at
different speeds in air,
water, and glass.
• If light hits new matter
straight on, it keeps going
straight. But if light hits
the new matter at a slant,
the light bends or refracts.
– Ex. In line skater dropping
off concrete onto grass
•Examples of
refraction:
–Magnifying glass
–Glasses
–Contact lenses
 SCIENCE TRIVIA
• Can you see your neighbor?
– No, you can only see the light that is being
reflected off of him or her. You can’t actually see
your neighbor.
– Think about it, can you see your neighbor if you
turn off the lights?
– Nope. There is no light being reflected off him or
her.
LIGHT or DARK
Let’s Review
• Light energy can cause things to change.
• Plants require light to make food.
• Some machines use energy from light to generate
electricity.
• Light travels in a straight line unless it is reflected,
refracted, or absorbed.
• Mirrors produce clear images because their surfaces
are smooth.
• Bumpy surfaces don’t produce clear images.
TRUE or FALSE
1.Light travels in a straight line.
2. Refraction is the bouncing back of light that
strikes a clear surface.
3. When somebody faces a mirror, the reflection
can be seen in a reversed manner.
4. Light travels faster in liquid than in air.
5. Refraction is the bending of light.