Suitable For
Grade 5
Difficulty
3
Time Required
<2 Days
Supervision
Advised
What’s it about?
Have you ever wondered what causes the stars up in the sky to ‘twinkle’ when you look at them? In the following science experiment we will use water to refract light to help explain this occurrence:
Topics covered
Turbulent, Speed of light, Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein, Celestial bodies, Refraction
What will I need?
- GLASS BOWL WITH WATER
- ALUMINIUM FOIL
- FLASHLIGHT
- BLACK PAINT
- NAILS
- MARBLES
- BOOKS
Procedure (Method)
Unfortunately, this section is only available in the e-book version of the project.
How does it work?
Unfortunately, this section is only available in the e-book version of the project.
In this science experiment we drop marbles into the bowl to make the water ‘turbulent’ causing the light shining up through the holes in the foil cover (or stars) to ‘twinkle’. The rippling in the water bends and distorts the light as it travels through the water, reflected from the aluminium foil. Similarly, stars appear to ‘twinkle’ because the light waves travelling from very far away passes through various layers of air in the earth’s atmosphere. The layers of air have varying thicknesses and can also distort and refract the light before it reaches the earth.
Like the sound of it?
Why not check out the full worksheet in one of our popular e-books?
This particular science project can be found in any of the following Experiland e-books:
Experiland e-books contain detailed steps, including illustrations, to complete the science projects from start to finish.
