Waves, Light, and Information
Grade Level: 4th
Subject: Science
Time Frame: 3 weeks (September)
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Essential Questions
- what are waves and what are they caused by?
- what words do scientists use to describe waves?
- what are longitudinal waves and what causes them?
- what are transverse waves and what causes them?
- how are longitudinal and transverse waves different?
- how does light allow us to see?
- why do we see colors?
- how do plane mirrors reflect light and objects?
- how is light refracted?
- how do modern ways of communication utilize patterns to transfer information?
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By the end of the unit, students will know:
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- waves are regular patterns of motion caused by a disturbance
- in longitudinal waves, particles move in the same or opposite direction of the wave
- in transverse waves, particles move up and down as the wave moves right or left
- in order for us to see, light must reflect off of objects
- we see colors when they are reflected and other colors are absorbed. When we see white, we are seeing all the colors reflected. When we see black, all the colors were absorbed
- a plan mirror reflects light at the same angle it hits it and reflects an object the same distance away as it is from the mirror
- light bends as it passes from one material to another
- computers communicate using Binary, converting information into a list of 1's and 0's that relay information
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By the end of the unit, students will be able to:
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- create a wave and explain how to manipulate various characteristics of the wave (like amplitude or wavelength)
- create a simple device to transfer sound waves and explain why it can do so
- relate amplitude and wavelength to volume and pitch
- model changes in amplitude and wavelength on a one-string guitar
- explain how mirrors reflect objects and light
- use patterns to create a code to transfer information
- decode a set of digitized information
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Topics
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- what are waves?
- describing waves
- sound
- sight and color
- mirrors
- refraction
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Standards
4-PS4-1, 4-PS4-2, 4-PS4-3