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

Learning objectives:

1. The Lens equation and hot image distance, object distance, center of curvature and focal point are related to each other.
2. Using the Lens equation to solve for one element, given the other three.
3. Uncertainty in measurement and calculations
4. Significant Figures as a way to communicate precision.

How to take notes: 

Clark began class by talking about how to take notes: Clark’s version is a 3 part sequence in which students first ‘catch what they can’ (Clark calls these Quick Notes) and then ideally, the student would then take these notes home and Annotate them. With annotations, questions and comments, they become Messy Notes. These are what Clark usually collects when he assigns notes: Ideally, students would then do one more pass with their notes, taking out a clean sheet of paper and rewriting their Messy Notes into a new document which looks like a Text Book. These Clark calls, ProNotes. (and these would be what a student would review prior to an exam, for instance). 

Monday: After a riveting discussion of how to take notes (see above)  We watched a short video highlighting a machine which uses Extreme Ultraviolet light to print microchips. Students were to take Quick notes in class and then annotate them to turn them into Messy Notes. (due on Friday) We then 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.

Tuesday- Wednesday We set up our ‘lab apparatus’ to create Real Images with Candles and Spherical Mirrors. Clark walked through how to create Ray Diagrams to better understand where and how images will form. Students first simply looked for combinations which produced images on screens and then Clark brought in the Lens Equation so that we could Calculate what the Focal Length must be for that mirror. (note: Though the Object and Image distances CAN change, the Focal Length is fixed and is a function of the Radius of Curvature). Additionally, Clark introduced the concept of Uncertainty in Measurement and how we quantify the resulting Uncertainty in our final, calculated values.

Friday: Clark first introduced the idea that the Speed of Light is invariant for all observers. As part of this discussion we watched the first 30 minutes of a PBS Documentary called Fabric of Space. (the section is called What is Space and focuses on the  idea that space and time are connected by the speed of light). Students were instructed to take notes on the video. Next Clark handed out the project descriptor for the first Poster Project: Introduction-to-optics-with-ray-diagrams-and-mirrors   and gave students time to begin work on it.

Learning objectives:

• Structure of the Eye including Retina, Iris, Rods and Cones
• How our Eyes can ‘sense’ what color they are seeing.
• Why our night vision doesn’t allow us to discern color
• The Atmospheric Window (what wavelengths pass through our atmosphere?)
• Refraction of light as it passes through different substances.
• The Index of Refraction and Snell’s law.
• Regarding Black Holes
  • What is the Schwarzschild radius?
  • What is Long Baseline Interferometry and how does it work?
  • How did the Astronomers construct an image of a black hole?
  • What exactly are you looking at when you see a ring of light around a black hole?
  • What is an ‘accretion disk’

Monday: Class time was given to work on the current, Poster Project . Also highlighted was the on-line physics text by Giancoli, which students can (and should!) use as a reference for our study of Geometric Optics. (chapter 23 contains all of the examples of Ray Diagrams that Clark went through in class, for example).

Tuesday: The First half of class, Clark first demonstrated with a 3-color LED how our perceptions of light and color are more complicated than ‘first meets the eye’. This website, Structure and Function of the eye describes it all.

Wednesday: Clark began by reviewing the basic biology of a Spider’s Eye which is fundamentally different than our own. Clark then introduced the concept of Refraction and how the speed of Light (C) is only Constant in the vacuum of Space. Once the light enters any material, the light must slow down as it interacts with the molecules of the material. In the video clip (at right): What is Total Internal Reflection, we can see how an incident ray will change directions as it enters or exits a new medium. From here we did our Index of Refraction Lab activity. 

Thursday: Clark began with an overview of our earliest ancestors and how they had four eyes (two of which have morphed into the pineal gland). We then stepped into new research in which scientists can control neurons with light and finally returned to the topic of Refraction by first considering how a glass rod will disappear when immersed in glycerin and then the topic of Total Internal Reflection. Of additional interest, was the recent Nobel Prize in Medicine, in which scientists used genetic engineering to add photoreceptors to brain cells, which then allowed them to control neurons directly with light (by drilling through the animal’s skull to place fiber optic cables into the brain!)

Friday: Class began today with our first Socratic Seminar (discussing chapters 1-3 in the book Catching the Light). We came back to class watched the  Video: How we photographed a Black Hole. Students were to take ‘messy notes’. (due next Monday). 

Additional Resources and items of interest! 

• What is total Internal Reflection? 

• Examples of Total Internal Reflection in practice. 

• Structure of a spider’s eye

• Structure of a Scallop’s Eye

• Chromesthesia  = see colors when hearing sounds

• Check out NASA’s visualization of the Accretion Disc around a black hole (at right)

Learning Objectives for this week

• How Lenses differ from spherical mirrors with regard to Focal Lengths and how images are produced. 
• How to use the Lens equation to solve for focal length. 
• Understanding which conditions create virtual and real images. 
• Understanding how a telescope is constructed. 

Socratic Seminar Contributors for This week.

• Tuesday, Nov 10:  Kiara Good, Noah Gothelf, Georgia Hacke, Kylan Hartnett., Chloe Johnson, Boden Jones, Damien Juarez
  .
• Friday, Nov 13: Seva Kallaway, MariSol KG., Etienne Mallie, Lucy Marshall, Arianna Maynard, Martina Morabito, Cameron Ostoj
  

Monday: Clark passed back a bunch of graded work and we watched a short video: Why TON 618 is the scariest Black Hole in the Universe  (Students took notes for Extra Credit (not required)

Tuesday:  Clark first introduced the idea that Lenses, unlike Spherical Mirrors, have two focal points (equally spaced on each side of the lens).. and that it doesn’t matter to the lens which way light is passing through it. We then set up our Optical Benches in the same fashion as last time and had students repeat the same set of experiments, all designed to Calculate the Focal Length of the lens through multiple trials pairing Images generated by placing the Candle at different locations.

Wednesday: Is a holiday! Veterans Day! No School! 

Thursday: Clark first spoke about X-Ray Telescopes (specifically the Chandra X-ray Observatory) and how they operate. We then continued with our current lens lab. 

Friday: 

Learning Objectives:

• Refraction and Snell’s law: how to predict the path of a light ray through a substance
• Transmission of light through the Atmosphere as a function of wavelength.
• How Earth’s atmosphere interacts with solar radiation both incoming and outgoing back into Space.
• How does a LASER work? 
• What can we do with X-Ray LASERS? 

Monday– Clark passed back papers and reminded students that this Main Block session is wrapping up. TO DO.. includes beginning work on your Title page and end-of-block Reflection. Getting back to Refraction, Clark showed students this interesting short clip showing how a glass rod seems to disappear into a glass of Glycerin due to the fact that they both have the same refractive index. Additionally, Clark passed out a practice refraction/Snell’s law practice sheet in which students are to predict the path of several rays of light as they pass into a lens. Clark also pulled aside ‘struggling students’ for some one-on-one check-in time.

Tuesday: We began today by taking a look at this year’s Nobel Prize winner for Medicine in which researchers at Stanford were able to genetically engineer brain cells to respond to light thereby allowing them to control when Neurons fire and better understand how brain processes work.

Clark showed students a slide illustrating how various frequencies of light can penetrate or be absorbed by the atmosphere highlighting how the Green House Effect actually is a function of frequency of light and atmospheric composition.

Wednesday: What is a LASER? and How does the SLAC X-Ray LASER work?

Thursday: Clark passed out the Review Guide for next week’s test and spoke a bit about The Large Hadron Collider in Europe. In this machine, physicists accelerate Lead atomic nuclei to 99.99% the speed of light and collide them in head-on collisions.. Through four, different detectors, we have finally discovered the Higgs Boson and brought together the Standard Model for particle physics. We then watched the first half of the video: Particle Fever (Amazon Prime)

Learning Objectives: 

• How do rainbows form? 
• The Large Hadron Collider: What were they hoping to find? 

Monday and Tuesday were holidays. 

Wednesday. We had our final, Socratic Seminar this morning. Part of the conversation was about Rainbows and whether or not everyone is seeing the same thing. Clark then came back and went through an overview of the Physics of Rainbows and how two people across town from each other are NOT seeing the SAME Rainbow since the geometry requires they be looking at different sets of rain drops. 

NOTE TO CLARK! FOR NEXT BLOCK: SEARCHING FOR RAINBOW LAB: Get a bunch of spray bottles!! 

Thursday is a Work Day 

Friday is the End of Unit Test: Review Guide_Optics test _ Doran block2