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Experiment in Optics Science Projects (14 results)

Explore optics: visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light. Create your own light-up device (like an infinity mirror or color mixer), learn how to measure the colors of visible light in a solution, or change the way a camera or kaleidoscope works.

Explore Optical Illusions: Build an Infinity Mirror
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Do you want to trick friends and visitors with an amazing optical illusion? In this engineering design project you will learn how to build an infinity mirror,with built-in lights that make the mirror look like a deep tunnel with no end. But pick the mirror up and look behind it, and you will see that it is only a couple of inches thick! Read this project to find out not only how this illusion works, but how to design and build your very own infinity mirror from scratch. Read more
Making a Cell Phone Spectrophotometer
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
We encounter an amazing array of colors every day, from the greens of plants and the many colors of their flowers, to the pinkish blue of a sunset, to the artificial coloring in beverages. How do we perceive all of these colors? When light hits an object, some of that light is absorbed by the object, and the light that is not absorbed is what we see. In this science project, you will build a simple spectrophotometer from a cell phone and use it to investigate how visible light is absorbed by… Read more
Kaleidoscope Science
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
A kaleidoscope is a fun toy that creates amazing images when you look into it. Wouldn't it be fun to create those images yourself? Check out this project to learn how to build your own kaleidoscope and to learn how the inside of a kaleidoscope works. Then you can create and adjust your own amazing, colorful images! Read more
Using a Laser to Measure the Speed of Light in Gelatin
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Think it takes expensive, sophisticated equipment to measure the speed of light? Think again! Outfit yourself with a simple handheld laser pointer, a protractor, and gelatin, and you're ready to get started. Read more
Measuring Sugar Content of a Liquid with a Laser Pointer
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Did you know that you can figure out how much sugar is in a liquid without ever tasting it? In this science fair project, you will learn how to measure the concentration of sugar dissolved in a liquid by using a laser pointer, a hollow prism, and some physics. You will discover how refraction, or the bending of light, is the key to measuring the sugar content of a liquid with a laser pointer. Read more
Picture This: Building a Cell Phone Microscope
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Imagine you are on a trip and see something interesting that you want to share with your friends. What do you do? You take a picture with your cell phone and e-mail it to them, of course. But did you realize that the same technology can be used to save lives? Using their cell phones modified as inexpensive microscopes, medical personnel can look at blood smears to help diagnose diseases like malaria and cholera. In this photography science project you will build a simple and inexpensive cell… Read more
Test the Webb Space Telescope's Amazing Multiple Mirrors and Sunshield
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Can you imagine designing and building a space telescope the size of a tennis court? Believe it or not, that is someone's job! Hundreds of engineers were involved in getting the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) into space. This telescope has the potential to enable astronomers to see light from when the Universe was first formed. No one knows what amazing discoveries this might lead to, but already, JWST has delivered astounding deep space images that offer an unprecedented look at… Read more
Using a Laser Pointer to Measure the Data Track Spacing on CDs and DVDs
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
You've probably noticed the colorful patterns "reflecting" from the shiny surface of a CD disk. What you are seeing is actually diffraction of white light, and the rainbows of color are diffraction patterns. In this project you'll learn about how diffraction patterns are generated, and you'll find out how you can use a laser pointer and a protractor to measure the microscopic spacing of data tracks on a CD. Read more
Spinning Colors: How Do Primary Colors Combine to Make New Colors?
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Did you know that sunlight can actually be separated into the colors of the rainbow? And the light of different colors can be added together to make white light or new colors. This is an area of study where art and science overlap. In this science fair project, you will explore this area by drawing or painting "pie slices" onto a white circle and then combining them to make a new color by spinning the wheel using an electric drill. Read more
Digital Pinhole Camera
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
If you sit under a leafy tree on a sunny day, you may notice spots of sunlight on the ground from light passing through spaces between the leaves. Try putting a piece of cardboard on the ground and examining the spots of light on the cardboard. Even though the spaces through which the light is passing are irregular in shape, the spots on the cardboard are round. What you are seeing, in fact, are projected images of the sun. Light passing through an aperture forms an image. A pinhole camera… Read more
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