Re: [asa] Easy to show experiments

A variation on (2) that I like is to look at a point source (reflected
sunlight off of a car bumper works nicely) through a fine-weave cloth
(e.g. a handkerchief). You will see a diffraction pattern from the
cloth; using a finer weave cloth gives lines spaced further apart.

Kirk

-----Original Message-----
From: Carol or John Burgeson <burgytwo@juno.com>
To: asa@calvin.edu
Sent: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 2:15 pm
Subject: [asa] Easy to show experiments

On another subject entirely, I'm interested in showing to young
elementary age children that

(1) Atoms exist
(2) Light is a wave
(3) Light is a particle

I have found a very simple way to demonstrate (2) -- look at a light
source through the separation of two fingers (my baseball scarred
fingers
are especially good for this purpose). As the fingers come together,
dark
lines appear between them -- it is usually easy to see at least three of
these. The wave argument follows.

I have heard somewhere that an equally easy way to demonstrate (1)
exists
but I have not been able to find it. All the ways to show (3) seem to
require experimental setups.

Any ideas?

Burgy

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Received on Wed Sep 12 14:16:22 2007