SEEd - Physics
Lesson Plans

Strand PHYS.4: WAVES

Waves transfer energy through oscillations of fields or matter. The wavelength and frequency of a wave are related to one another by the speed of travel of the wave, which depends on the type of wave and the medium through which it passes. Waves produce interference as they overlap but they emerge unaffected by each other. The wave model is useful for explaining many features of electromagnetic radiation, and the particle model explains other features. Electromagnetic radiation can be modeled as a wave of changing electric and magnetic fields or as particles called photons. When light or longer wavelength electromagnetic radiation is absorbed in matter, it is generally converted into thermal energy. Because waves depend upon the properties of fields and the predictable transformation of energy, they can be used to interpret the nature of matter and its energy. Waves are utilized to transmit information both in analog and digital forms.

Standard PHYS.4.4

Ask questions and construct an explanation about the stability of digital transmission and storage of information and their impacts on society. Emphasize the stability of digital signals and the discrete nature of information transmission. Examples of stability and instability could include that digital information can be stored in computer memory, is transferred easily, copied and shared rapidly can be easily deleted, has limited fidelity based on sampling rates, or is vulnerable to security breaches and theft. (PS4.A)

• Trichroic Prism - HS-PS4-1
  Science Phenomena: HS Physical Science - Waves and Information (Phys 4.3, 4.4) - A trichroic prism splits light into three beams of light with different wavelengths (or colors). These prisms are used in some video cameras to send different colors of light to different color sensors. The prisms are coated with special coatings to filter and transmit different wavelengths of light. This device could be used to investigate interactions of light with various materials to in increasing complexity K-12.

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