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Measure Light During an Experiment Science Projects (13 results)

Measure optical properties of a device that you build or an experiment that you conduct. Measure and record optical properties (like color changes) in a chemical reaction or physics experiment (like the speed of light in gelatin).

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
Stealthy Shapes: How to Make an Aircraft Invisible to Radar
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Have you ever dreamed about becoming invisible? Or about making something else invisible, like the mess all over your room? Invisibility may sound like the stuff of science fiction (remember Star Trek's "Cloaking Device"?), but in reality, military vehicles, like planes and ships, can be made less observable, or even invisible, to different detection methods—like radar, sonar, or infrared sensors—by using stealth technology. In this engineering science fair project, you'll find out… Read more
Rainbow Fire Science Project
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Astronomers can figure out what distant stars are made of (in other words, their atomic composition) by measuring what type of light is emitted by the star. In this science project, you can do something similar by observing the color of flames when various chemicals are burned. 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 the Speed of 'Light' with a Microwave Oven
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Did you know that you can measure the speed of light using a microwave oven, some egg white, and a ruler? Find out how with this cool kitchen science project thanks to Mr. Nick Hood, a science teacher in Fife, Scotland. Read more
How Does the Intensity of Light Change with Distance?
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
How does the intensity of a light source change as you move away from it? This project describes a method to verify the inverse square law: how light, sound, electrical signals, and gravity each decrease with distance from their source. It does not matter if you are talking about a lightbulb or the sun; this law still applies! Read more
Minds of Their Own: A Chemical Reaction that Changes, then Changes Back!
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Have you ever seen a chemical reaction that makes a solution change color? Probably. But what about a solution that changes color and then changes back, not only once, but many times? Sounds pretty exotic! Whereas most chemical reactions only move in one direction from reactants (starting chemicals) to products, in these rare oscillating reactions, the reaction products appear and disappear for a number of cycles. Because the products are colored, the solution appears alternately blue, then… 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
Wire Wilt: How Light-Emitting Diodes Fade As Temperature Increases
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
What's your favorite thing to do on the hottest day of the year? Dip your toes in an icy river? Hang out by the pool? Retreat to a cool basement? Lie motionless in the shade? You're probably not too eager to move around and put out a lot of energy, like mowing the lawn in the mid-afternoon sun. Well, you're not the only one. In this electronics science fair project, you'll find out that some semiconductor devices, like light-emitting diodes (or LEDs), act the same way. As their internal… 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
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