LLS

This page is to help share resources for the Laser, Light, and Sound Show on February 20th from 6 - 7:30 pm in Dougherty Hall. Please feel free to use the comments section to share things that you think other teams may find helpful.

Below each topic is listed with some guiding questions and a resource or two.

Doppler Shift 

Does the Doppler Shift apply to both light and sound? Any type of wave?
How did the Doppler Shift help formulate the Big Bang Theory?
What is a Sonic Boom? What does it have to do with the Doppler Effect?

Reflection 

What does Snell's Law mean? What is total internal reflection and why does your TV care about it?
What are concave and convex mirrors? What is a focal point? Real image? Virtual image?
Can we really make heat ray guns?

Radiation Outside Visible Spectrum 

What does is different about being inside or outside the visible spectrum?
Why do different types of light do different things?
What are infrared rays? X rays? Gamma rays? Radio waves? Ultraviolet radiation?

Musical Terminology 

What are common music/sound terms that everyone should understand?
Why do some things sound 'good' and others 'bad'?
How do instruments make sounds? How do people?

Dispersion 

What does it mean for dispersion to occur?
What assumptions/understandings are a prerequisite for understanding dispersion?
Can dispersed light be recombined? If so, how?

Polarization of Light 

Does it matter if a wave is transverse or longitudinal regarding polarization? Why/why not?
How does light become polarized?
Why are polarizers used in sunglasses? Photography?

Interference 

What is the difference between interfering and colliding?
Can all types of waves interfere with each other? Can (really really small) particles?
Where can we encounter interference in day to day life?

Optical Illusions 

Do optical illusions occur in our mind or in the way light is manipulated?
Are there any optical illusions that can't be explained?
To what extent can we manipulate light to form optical illusions?

Resonance 

What is meant by a natural frequency?
What conditions lead to resonance? Does it have to be perfect?
Can you really break a glass with your voice? What does that have to do with resonance?

Refraction 

What does it mean for a wave to bend? When can this occur?
What properties of a wave affect how much it bends?
How do we use refraction to design glasses, contacts, and telescopes?

Periodic Motion 

What is the difference between something periodic and periodic motion?
How does driving and damping affect periodic motion?
When does something engage in chaotic motion?

Spectroscopy 

How do we know what distant stars are made of?
What does absorption mean?
What is a spectral line and how do we see one?

Wave Properties/Terminology 

What makes waves special compared to particles and objects?
How can something be considered a wave and a particle at the same time?
How are ocean waves behave differently than light and sound?

Visible Spectrum/Vision

What is color? Do we all see the same ones?
Why is fire colorful in some places and invisible in others?
Can we trick our eyes into seeing colors that aren't there?