Lesson 6 - 7
Reflection, refraction and absorption of light energy
Lesson Overview
Throughout this lesson series, students will be introduced to the concept of light transfer. Students will investigate reflection refraction and absorption of light through simple experiments. They will also investigate the different absorption of light by various colours. There is an Mathematics option to analyse the absorption of solar energy by solar panels in a school setting.
ACS Codes
ACSHE081 ACSHE083 ACSIS086 ACSIS087 ACSIS090 ACSIS091 ACSIS093 ACSIS218 ACSIS231 ACSSU078 ACSSU080
Lesson Objectives
Students will:
- Make predictions and then investigate absorption, refraction and reflection by shining light on a variety of objects.
- Conduct experiments about the reflection, refraction and absorption of light.
Evidence of Learning
Can the student:
- Make predictions.
- Draw diagrams to show how light reflects and refracts off different surfaces.
Example Learning Sequence
- Explore the terms reflection, refraction and absorption.
- Investigate how light travels and reflects off surfaces.
- Investigate how light reflects off a mirror.
- Investigate how light refracts.
- Draw diagrams of their observations.