Learning objectives:

1. The Ray Model of light
2. Flat mirrors introduce us to terms such as image, objects and angles of incidence and reflection.
3. Measuring angles based on the Normal
4. Symbols such as Di, Do and their meaning

New Assignments: 

• The Flat Mirror Lab: Students placed flat mirrors upright on sheets of paper and then considered ‘lines of sight’ as they viewed the reflected images. From this we traced out where the image ‘appears’ to have come from and compare the distances from the mirror to the ‘object’ as well as from the mirror to the ‘image’. We then identified and traced out the Normal lines for reference from which we measured the ‘angles of incidence’ and the ‘angles of reflection’. 
• Concave mirror lab: This lab involved students placing candles at several distances in front a concave mirror and then looking for the projected image on a screen. Once the images came into focus, we measured the image and object distances and then, using the Optics equation, calculated what the focal length, f must have been. 

Wednesday, Mr. Clark simply met the students and spoke a bit about his own background.

Thursday we continued with some discussion about how to take notes and then jumped into the Flat mirror lab which primarily introduced students to the terms we would be using in our discussions of Optics. Students simply had to submit the notes from class and their first ‘Ray diagrams’ showing how and where and image forms in a flat mirror.

Friday, we continued with Geometric Optics but began exploring how concave mirrors form images which can be projected onto screens. As part of this discussion, new terms were introduced such as the Center of curvature and the focal point/plane/distance. Of special interest was the transition from ‘Real Images’ (if the object is OUTSIDE of the focal point and Virtual Images if the object is INSIDE the focal point. From these observations we then used the Optics equation to calculate the Focal length of these mirrors.

Learning objectives: 

• Uncertainty in measurement and calculations. 

Monday: Clark introduced ‘ray diagram’ ideas when considering concave mirrors. The concepts of Focal Point and Plane were introduced as well as how these lead to ‘rules’ for rays that pass through them. We then stepped outside to see for ourselves (and measure!) the focal point of the mirrors that students had been using. From here, we then traced out a ray diagram that would illustrate an object placed VERY CLOSE (ie, inside the focal length) of the mirror by using parallax (holding a pen next to the mirror at a position such that it APPEARED next to the image that we saw).

Tuesday: Clark introduced the concept of Uncertainty in measurement and how we carry these uncertainties forward into our calculations. As part of this, Clark demonstrated using his shoe, how to calculate the volume of a box and how to include Uncertainty estimates into the calculations. We then stepped into a mini-lab, which was simply to determine the volume of a tennis ball, and to include the Uncertainty in that calculation. (students took notes on the demo and then attempted their own calculations on that same sheet of paper for the tennis ball).

Friday:

New Assignments: 

•  
• Determining the volume of a tennis ball, including the uncertainty! 
• Poster Project
• Video Notes: Light and Dark (first half this Friday, second half next Monday)

Wednesday, Clark continued the conversation on Uncertainty and challenged the students to go back to their earlier measurements with the concave mirror and then include ‘uncertainty’ into their measurements. He noted that we now have four different experiments that led to values of Focal Length. (two experiments in which images were projected onto screens, one of which was based on the Virtual Image, and one in which we attempted to measure the focal length directly). Form these FOUR calculations, we then look for ‘overlap’ of the values which then lead to a much more precise value of f.

Thursday: Students were given the entire period to work on their “Waldorf Light Poster Project”