Prism and Spectroscope

Prism Lab

To Start:

Directions:

1. Carefully place the items in the bag on your desk.
2. Make sure you have your spiral and a pencil.
3. Go to this website and read about light.

http://easyscienceforkids.com/kids-light/

4. Watch the video of kids learning about light and color:

http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/lightandcolor.html

Observations:

Directions:

1. Write your name and date in top right corner.

1. Write the title centered on the top line.

1. Before you begin, try to guess exactly how you will make a color spectrum with a flashlight, prism, convex lens, and a piece of white paper. 

1. Now use your materials to make the color spectrum appear on a piece of white paper. This works best when the room is very dark and the flashlight very bright. Can you identify all of the ROY G. BIV colors in your spectrum?

1. In your science notebook, write a description of the best way to make a color spectrum with a prism. Draw a picture showing the flashlight, prism, convex lens, paper, and the color spectrum.

1. A spectroscope is similar to a prism in that it can break up light into its component.
   At one end of the spectroscope is a square film of material that acts like a prism. The film is called a diffraction grating. It is made by putting thousands of grooves on a plastic film. This bends the light coming through it and, in essence, causes the light to spread out into its different wavelengths of light (colors).  Look through the round end of the spectroscope and point to a light source. Look for the rainbow in the tube!