Share it! Science : light

Mirrors and reflections are super engaging from preschoolers through adulthood! That is probably why we find some great mirror exhibits in science and children's museums! For some fun with reflections at home or school, try this low-tech and easy-prep mirror activity.

This is a great STEAM activity for around St. Patrick's Day. It requires a bit of creativity, drawing and understanding of the science of light and reflection.

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A St. Patrick's STEAM Challenge

Can you make a four-leaf clover with just a green dot on a piece of paper and two small mirrors?

To try this out you'll need:

drawing paper or index cards
2 small plastic mirrors
colorful markers or crayons
modeling clay or small cans to hold up mirrors (optional)

First, draw a green circle on an index card. By holding your two mirrors at an angle, can you turn the circle into two circles? How about four? Can you make the reflection look like a four leaf clover?

For small hands, it makes it easier to hold the mirrors in place either by creating a stand for each out of a ball of clay, or attaching them to something so that they stand up. We taped ours to two small cans to make it easy to move and adjust.

Keep adjusting the angle and placement of the mirrors. What is the greatest number of leaves that you can make on the clover? A fun extension for older students is to measure the different angles of the mirrors with a protractor and compare that to the number of leaves it creates on the clover. Is there a pattern?

Try this with other shapes and drawings. How about a rainbow, or symmetrical shapes or letters? The possibilities are endless.

So what is the science? Light is being reflected or "bounced" from the surface of the mirror to your eyes. In this case, you are observing the light being emitted by the green dot. The placement of the mirrors results in the light bouncing back and forth off of the smooth surfaces of the mirrors. With each "bounce" another image is visible.

Want to teach a lesson on reflection? I highly recommend the "Mirror, Mirror" lesson featured in More Picture Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry, K-4 . This lesson uses the great picture book I See Myself by Vicki Cobb

Looking for more great STEAM projects? Check out STEAM Kids!

http://steamkidsbooks.com/product/steam-kids-ebook/?ref=26&campaign=clover

Scientists at the EPFL School of Computer and Communications in Switzerland have managed to take a snapshot of light performing the way Einstein theorized- as a particle and a wave. Although quantum mechanics has shown us that Einstein's theory is true we have never been able to visualize it in practice.

The new image was published at the beginning of the month in Nature Communications. The team of scientists completed experiments in a unique way to capture the image. They used electrons to image light. Their experiment went something like this: Laser light is shot at a nanowire, which then vibrates as its particles are charged. The light travels along the wire in two directions. When the waves meet up with each other they create a new wave that radiates around the nanowire creating the light source. The scientists then shoot a stream of electons at the nanowire that image the wave of light. The electrons do one of two things- speed up or slow down. Using a speedy microscope they can take an image of the location where the change in speed takes place. Phew! Confused? I'll admit, I was too. Don't feel bad, it isn't rocket science, but it is quantum mechanics after all!

Ferdinand Schmutzer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The short version is that we can now see something that we have never been able to see before! Depending on their learning style this can help clarify a physics concept that was once abstract into something more concrete for many students. To see the fascinating image, visit the Science Daily article, "First ever photograph of light as a particle and a wave"

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