Lesson 57 of 84 · Engineering and Design
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🛠️ Engineer ShopLight and the Color Spectrum (Part 3)
Engineering and Design.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Constraints make you more creative, not less.
Mind = Blown
🛠️ The first computer bug was a literal moth stuck inside a machine in 1947.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you test: how many tries until it works?
What You'll Learn
Light behaves as both a wave and a particle. White light can be separated into a spectrum of colors using a prism. Each color has a different wavelength.
Key Words
- model
- prototype
- design
Materials Needed
- scissors
- straws
- paper clips
- rubber bands
Safety First
- Work in a well-ventilated area when using vinegar or other strong-smelling substances.
- Dispose of materials properly after the experiment.
- Handle glass items carefully to avoid breakage.
Steps
Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.
Create a solar oven from a pizza box lined with foil. Measure the temperature inside on a sunny day. Try melting chocolate or cheese.
Compare the before and after states.
Write your conclusion: did the results match your hypothesis? What would you change next time?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is amplitude?
Where you see this in real life
Your phone, your bike, your shoes — all designed with this idea.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Build something — anything — out of stuff in your recycling bin.
For the dinner table
“What's something around the house you'd redesign — and how?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
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