Focal Length of a Concave Mirror
Use a light source, concave mirror, and half screen accessory on an optics bench to measure the focal length of the concave mirror.
Telescope and Microscope
Construct a simple telescope and a simple microscope and to measure their magnifications. Biconvex thin lenses will be used as the primary and eyepiece...
Variation of Light Intensity
Compare the variation in intensity of light from different light sources. Use a light sensor to record and compare incandescent versus fluorescent light...
Light Intensity vs. Distance
The relative light intensity versus distance from a point light source is plotted and compared to theory.
Polarization of Light
The plot of light intensity versus angle between two polarizers is fitted to the square of the cosine of the angle, verifying the Law of Malus.
Brewster's Angle
Explore how the intensity and polarization of light changes when reflected from the surface of a transparent medium, and then compare the experimental...
Interference and Diffraction
Diffraction and interference patterns are measured for single and double slits by scanning the laser pattern with a light sensor and plotting light intensity...
Electrostatic Charges
Compare and contrast the results of three different methods of charging: (1) rubbing two objects together; (2) touching a charged object to a neutral one;...
Electric Field Mapping
This qualitative activity introduces the concepts of equipotential surfaces and electric fields. A number of rules about the electric field are verified....
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