Exhibits
The Light House
Beaming, Bouncing, and Bending Light
Ranging from radio waves (larger than a football field) to gamma rays (a billion times smaller than a pinhead), wavelengths are all invisible to the human eye, except for the section of the spectrum known as visible light. In this exhibit, you can explore the science behind light and color.
An intriguing collection of visuals by local artists will spark your imagination as you figure out how light and color behave. At the exhibit entrance, a towering lighthouse created by Bill Wainwright shimmers with hundreds of mirror-like cubes that reflect a rainbow of light. On a wall mural, animated spinning disks designed by Rufus Butler Seder create intermittent light patterns that produce moving figures.
A series of fun-house mirror effects can play havoc with your reflection. Stroll along one mirrored wall, and your body breaks into tiny bits; walk towards a mammoth parabolic mirror, and your image flips upside down and enlarges; stand before a checkerboard of mirrors, and your multiple reflections vanish if you shift just a few inches.
Here, colors never stay the same for long. With the help of filters, you can split white light—the combination of all color wavelengths—into its separate components. Pictures and objects moving back and forth between two lights illustrate how colors can make surprising changes when we tweak the light spectrum.
Visitors can also learn about the process of color addition by mixing different amounts of the three primary colors of light (red, blue, and green) to create light in any color.
| Format | Exhibit |
| Grades | K – Adult |
| Location | Blue Wing, Level 2 — Museum of Science, Boston |
| Website | n/a |
Support Provided By:
The Light House
+ View Detailed Standard Connections
Primary Connections:
National Science Education Standards (1996)
(National)
- Physical Science > Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism (Grade: K – 4)
- Physical Science > Transfer of energy (Grade: 5 – 8)
- Science as Inquiry > Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (Grade: K – 4)
Secondary Connections:
MA Science and Technology/Engineering Framework (2006)
(Massachusetts)
- Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) > Light Energy (Grade: 3 – 5)
- Technology/Engineering > Communication Technologies (Grade: 9 – 10)
National Science Education Standards (1996)
(National)
- Science as Inquiry > Understanding about scientific inquiry (Grade: K – 4)
- Physical Science > Interactions of energy and matter (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Physical Science > Interactions of energy and matter (Grade: 9 – 12)
- Science as Inquiry > Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (Grade: 5 – 8)
References:
MA Science and Technology/Engineering Framework (2006)
(Massachusetts)
- Inquiry and Experimentation > Skills of Inquiry (Grade: K – 2)
- Inquiry and Experimentation > Skills of Inquiry (Grade: 6 – 8)
– View Concise Standard Connections
Primary Connections:
National Science Education Standards (1996)
(National)
- Physical Science > Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism (Grade: K – 4)
Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object. Light can be reflected by a mirror, refracted by a lens, or absorbed by the object. - Physical Science > Transfer of energy (Grade: 5 – 8)
Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection). To see an object, light from that object--emitted by or scattered from it--must enter the eye. - Science as Inquiry > Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (Grade: K – 4)
Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.
Secondary Connections:
MA Science and Technology/Engineering Framework (2006)
(Massachusetts)
- Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) > 12 Light Energy (Grade: 3 – 5)
Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from one medium to another, and that light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed. - Technology/Engineering > 6.1 Communication Technologies (Grade: 9 – 10)
Identify and explain the applications of light in communications, e.g., reflection, refraction, additive, and subtractive color theory.
National Science Education Standards (1996)
(National)
- Science as Inquiry > Understanding about scientific inquiry (Grade: K – 4)
Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses. - Physical Science > Interactions of energy and matter (Grade: 9 – 12)
Waves, including sound and seismic waves, waves on water, and light waves, have energy and can transfer energy when they interact with matter. - Physical Science > Interactions of energy and matter (Grade: 9 – 12)
Electromagnetic waves result when a charged object is accelerated or decelerated. Electromagnetic waves include radio waves (the longest wavelength), microwaves, infrared radiation (radiant heat), visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma rays. The energy of electromagnetic waves is carried in packets whose magnitude is inversely proportional to the wavelength. - Science as Inquiry > Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (Grade: 5 – 8)
Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
References:
MA Science and Technology/Engineering Framework (2006)
(Massachusetts)
- Inquiry and Experimentation > Skills of Inquiry (Grade: K – 2)
Name and use simple equipment and tools (e.g., rulers, meter sticks, thermometers, hand lenses, and balances) to gather data and extend the senses. - Inquiry and Experimentation > Skills of Inquiry (Grade: 6 – 8)
Select appropriate tools and technology (e.g., calculators, computers, thermometers, meter sticks, balances, graduated cylinders, and microscopes), and make quantitative observations.
