Chromotography- What color is black? (Megan Whitaker)

Author

Megan Whitaker

Principle(s) Illustrated

1. Electromagnetic spectrum

2. Light/Optics

3. Investigation/Experimentation

Standards

• 7.6.a - Students know visible light is a small band within a very broad electromagnetic spectrum.

• 7.6.e - Students know that white light is a mixture of many wavelengths (colors) and that retinal cells react differently to different wavelengths.

• 7.7.c - Communicate the logical connection among hypotheses, science concepts, tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the scientific evidence.

Questioning Script

Prior knowledge & experience:

White light is made up of a spectrum of all of the colors found in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Colors are caused by the absorption or reflection of different wavelengths of light.

Students who have experience with colored pencils/crayons, may know that combining colors from the spectrum creates the color black.

Students who are familiar with the electromagnetic spectrum and the colors represented by different wavelengths may see black as the absence of color or light.

Root question:

What color is black? Follow the procedure to figure out if black is a single color or a combination of many colors.

Target response:

Students who understand how pigments combine to create colors (crayons/colored pencils/paint) will say that the color black is made up of a combination of colors from the visual spectrum.

Students will understand that not every type of black pen is created from the same combination of colors, meaning that predictions may vary based on the materials used.

Common Misconceptions:

Black ink is made up of only the color black, not a combination of colors from the visible spectrum but a lack of color or light.

All types of black ink will create the same spectrum because black is always the same.

Photographs and Movies

Put all photos in the class Picasa Album and reference here. Do not upload the photos directly to this wiki as there is not enough memory in the website.

References

Black Magic-Secret Colors in Black