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Nanophysics
Atomic Force Microscopy
Resistance of Atomic Wires
Imaging Atoms (Demonstration)

Waves
Audio Crime Lab
Resonance in Transverse Waves
Diffraction of Light
Clearly Colorful Thin Films
Exploring Wave Phenomena

Arecibo's Giant Mirror

Doppler Effect

Resonance in Longitudinal Waves

Electricity and Magnetism
Water Analogy to Electric Circuits
Discovering Ohm's Law
Too Cool to Resist

Magnetic Force on a wire with current

Physics on a Guitar

Notebook Circuits

Biocircuits

Foutan Board

Snap, Crackle and Pop

Nature of Resistance

Power to the People

Quantum Physics
Bohr Model Game
The Phantastic Photon
Light Emitting Diodes

Mechanics
Double Pendulum
Mousetrap and Ping Pong Balls
The Physics of Rock Climbing
Vortex Rings

Stunt Car Challenge!

The Physics of Baseball

Particle Physics
Cloud Chamber and Cosmic Rays

Optics
Communicating with Light
Is the Light Bulb Too Good to be True?

Measuring the Speed of Light

Energy

Photovoltaic Cells

Energy Conversion in a Light Bulb

Other

Introduction to Graphing

Introduction to the Oscilloscope

DNA Diffraction and DNA Structure

 

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Diffraction of Light

Authors: Gil Toombes, Andrew Telesca, Jr., Jim Overhiser, Martin Alderman
Lab Manual: PDF Download
Kit: Reserve

Abstract: The diffraction and interference of light are easily observed phenomena that five direct, tangible evidence of the wave nature of light. Diffraction is at the root of many technologies, scientific techniques, and common visual phenomena. Students explore diffraction by shining a laser at a hair, a variable-width slit made from pencils, wire meshes of various size and diffraction gratings. After an introduction to single-slit and N-slit diffraction equations, students are faced with tree challenges: to measure the track spacing in a CD and DVD, to determine the relative thickness of hairs, and to estimate the diameter of a lycopodium spore. In the last two challenges, students design their own procedure.