Mixing Colored Light (Frank Dale)

Title: Mixing Colored Light

Principle(s) Investigated: Some light colors that we perceive are due to a mixture of light from different parts of the visible spectrum. Red, green and blue serve as the low, middle and high end of this spectrum, are known as the primary colors of light, and mixtures of two of these light frequency ranges result in the three secondary colors- cyan, magenta and yellow.

Any two light colors that when added together make white are known as complimentary colors. For instance, magenta + green = white, because magenta = red + blue; substitution reveals (magenta) + green = (red + blue) + green = white. Yellow and blue are compliments, as are cyan and red.

EXPLAIN, THEN PREDICT FUTURE EVENTS FROM IT. -FVD

Standards: Past in the appropriate NGSS standards.

Materials: Include a list of materials and sources from which they may be obtained.

Procedure: Give a detailed explanation of the procedure and include diagrams if possible.

Student prior knowledge: A characteristic of all electromagnetic light (not just the visible portion) is the different frequencies/wavelengths as taught in the previous chapter.

Different wavelengths produce colors as seen in the color spectrum. White light is not strictly a color but a combination of other colors.

Black is the absence of visible light.

Color on objects generally may involve reflection from solid surfaces or transmission through transparent ones.

White light from the sun is mixture of all the visible light frequencies, but different frequencies come in different intensities with the yellow-green portion being the most intense. A graph showing brightness vs. frequency of the sun's light spectrum is called a radiation curve of the sun.

Explanation: Give a thorough explanation of the experiment or demonstration. Your explanation should be written to give your fellow teachers a solid understanding and include greater detail than what you might provide for your secondary students. Make certain to include equations whenever pertinent.

Questions & Answers: Give three thought-provoking questions and provide detailed answers.

Applications to Everyday Life: Explain (don't just list) three instances where this principle can be used to explain other phenomenon.

Photographs: Include photos and diagrams that illustrate the how the investigation is performed.

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Videos: Include a video of your investigation

IMPORTANT NOTE: Embed a Youtube Video that illustrates the procedure and results. This video should reside in your YouTube account and should be viewable by all. You may use a video in another persons YouTube channel if the video is better quality than what you can make.