Science
Those Wacky Inwisible Waves
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Overview
Time Required
Through this activity, students will recognize that we are surrounded
by different electromagnetic waves and that those waves have varying
strengths and lengths. They will experiment with how effectively
those waves can be manipulated (blocked, diminished, redirected).
Finally, they will consider the ways in which humans depend on
electromagnetic waves for communication.
45-50 minutes
Please note that the descriptions and the steps for the experiment
refer to “remote-controlled devices.” Ideally, the devices can be
remote-controlled cars — enough for each group to have one. Physical
space might pose a challenge, too, but students should be able to
complete their experiments within a standard classroom if a more
open space is not possible. Some alternatives for remote-controlled
devices could be:
All materials tie in with the
experiment, so you will need
enough to equip each group:
Materials
Required
Remote-controlled devices
masking tape
· iPod speakers/docking stations (or other portable music
devices)
cotton balls
· DVD players (if your school’s DVD players can be moved)
aluminum foil
· TVs (if your school’s TVs can be moved)
· Whether it’s devices that fit in one of the categories above, you
can ask students to bring in remote-controlled devices and the
remote controls. Explain that they should not be too big and
difficult to bring to class.
plastic wrap
wax paper
rubber glove
One final note, if equipping the student groups with enough remotecontrolled devices is too difficult, you can use only one device (ideally
a car) and conduct the experiment as a class — each student group
can be in charge of wrapping the remote control with a specific
material.
Standards Addressed
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.
Those Wacky Invisible Waves
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Background & Connection to the ISS
W
e are surrounded by waves — electromagnetic waves. The
sun emits many of them, but we have also come to rely on
certain human-made waves to enable us to beam television signals,
to communicate with one another on cell phones, to get online with
wifi connections, to heat food with microwaves, etc. Understanding
the electromagnetic spectrum can be difficult, but it starts with
understanding that there are waves that make up the spectrum. This
lesson will help students grasp the concept of waves.
The International Space Station is also surrounded by waves, but
much of its research takes advantage of its vantage point. The orbital
position of the ISS gives it unique remote sensing capabilities, using
equipment that can detect and measure a wide range of waves that
make up the electromagnetic spectrum. The International Space
Station Agricultural Camera (ISSAC) is one example. Its prime purpose
is to collect multispectral data supporting agricultural activities and
related research in the Upper Midwest of the United States. ISSAC
collects information in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths (3
bands) at a nominal ground resolution of 20 meters per pixel.
“Understanding the
electromagnetic
spectrum can
be difficult, but
it starts with
understanding that
there are waves
that make up the
spectrum.”
Another cool piece of hardware is the Hyperspectral Imager for the
Coastal Oceanor (HICO). It can take images of the ocean that were
previously impossible. If you’ve ever taken pictures around large
bodies of water, you know how the light can reflect off of the water.
However, from its vantage point HICO can compensate for different
light conditions, weather conditions, coastal conditions, and water
conditions to produce images with incredible depth … literally! It
records reflected waves of light (including those that are near infrared)
and coverts them into images — some of which can be disturbing,
such as when millions of gallons of oil spill into an ocean. Yet the
remote sensing images help predict the rate and the direction of the
spilled oil. That information helps those on Earth target their clean-up
efforts and their priorities for minimizing damages.
CASIS continues to explore ways to better understand and capture the
waves of the electromagnetic spectrum. Part of that research includes
understanding better what affects how waves travel — much like the
focus of this lesson plan!
Those Wacky Invisible Waves
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Activity Steps
1. Survey students and ask if any of them have
satellite television. Then ask if there are
ever instances where the picture gets bitmapped (delayed, choppy squares of color)
or disappears completely (whether briefly
or for a long time). Have students describe
what it’s like. Finally, ask them why they
think it happens. (Open that up to everyone,
even if they don’t have satellite TV at home.)
If it doesn’t come up, ask students if they
notice any times when it tends to happen.
(They might say during storms.) Guide the
conversation so that students think about
how the picture arrives to the home — at
minimum, that a satellite sends a signal down
to the dish on the roof.
2. Once you get to the point where students
recognize that a signal comes down from
a satellite, ask students if we can see the
signals being beamed down from satellites.
(Of course, not!) So … what are those
signals?
3. Watch the multimedia definition for
“electromagnetic spectrum.” [url here]
Afterwards, have two students explain what
the electromagnetic spectrum is based on
the definition — i.e., one tries to explain its
meaning, and the other student adds to and/
or amends to the explanation. Watch the
definition again and then see if there are any
other additions or clarifications that students
would like to make. If necessary, guide
students to recognize that the spectrum is
made up of different rays that travel in waves
and that the waves vary greatly in size.
4. Begin the transition into the experiment by
having students think of human-created
waves (like satellite television). Spend a few
minutes doing a rapid fire list of examples.
If students don’t think of it on their own, ask
them how scientists on the ISS communicate
with people on Earth. Likely examples
that students will identify are cell phone
signals, Internet wifi signals, radio, X-rays,
microwaves in ovens, radar, remote control
devices for electronics, etc. (If students don’t
think of remote control devices on their own,
try to guide them to that.)
5. Bring the conversation back to remote control
devices (if necessary), and ask if the waves
can be blocked or weakened. Let students
know that that’s what they’ll be experimenting
with today.
6. Use the group sizes and set up that your
students are familiar with for experiments.
Of course, much of it will have to do with
the equipment that you’re able to use and
the physical space you have for students to
complete their experiments.
Those Wacky Invisible Waves
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Controlling the Remote Control
(aka Doing the Wave & Messing
with the Wave)
Extensions &
Modifications
1. Run a quick check of your remote control device.
Does it function as it’s supposed to without any
interference? (If not, check the batteries.)
· In class and/or at home, have
students pursue their questions
to try to answer them. You can
have them report their findings
in writing and/or orally. You can
challenge them to create a script
that presents their findings like the
multimedia glossary explanation
of “electromagnetic spectrum.”
Additionally, challenge students to
list at least one question that they
developed in pursuing the answers
to their questions.
2. Experiment with the strength of the signal by
changing the distance between the remote control
and the device it is supposed to activate. Point the
remote control in different directions. Try to establish
its range and abilities. Record what you observe.
3. Using cotton balls and masking tape, wrap the
remote control in cotton — making sure it is
completely covered by you’re still able to operate the
remote control. Move to different locations, trying to
activate your device. Does it work? Does it depend
on distance and direction? How does it compare
to the performance of the remote control without
any cotton covering it? Record what you observe.
If the device doesn’t work at all, slowly remove the
covering until you’re able to get it to function. What
do you notice?
4. Repeat Step 3, using aluminum foil, plastic wrap,
wax paper, and rubber glove.
5. Overall, what do you notice? Are there differences
between the materials that you used? Why are some
materials more effective than others in blocking the
radio waves?
7. Based on their experiences and observations, have
your students identify a question that they would like to
pursue. For example, why was aluminum so effective in
blocking the signals/waves? What materials are satellite
dishes made of? Why do storms sometimes interfere
with signals and other times they don’t? What makes a
wave stronger or weaker? What happens when waves
cross one another?
· Encourage students to create a
similar experiment at home with
a remote control device, involving
other members of the family. They
should ask others to try to predict
the outcome of the different
materials used to wrap the remote
control.
· A creative cross-curricular activity
can be to establish a premise that
waves like those that carry satellite
TV signals existed during a historic
period that students are studying
in social studies. Somehow the
waves have been trapped all of
these years (instead of being
deflected or absorbed). Now with
the discovery of those trapped
waves, we can get a glimpse of
what it was like then. What would
those trapped waves show us?
Those Wacky Invisible Waves
[ 5 ]
Those Wacky Inwisible Waves
We are surrounded by waves — electromagnetic waves. The sun emits many of them, but we have also
come to rely on certain human-made waves to enable us to beam television signals, to communicate with
one another on cell phones, to get online with wifi connections, to heat food with microwaves, etc.
Of course, the International Space Station is also surrounded by waves — many of them don’t even
reach the Earth, especially those that we can’t see without specialized equipment. Some of the most
specialized of the specialized equipment is on the ISS. From its unique position in Earth’s orbit, it is able
to see things that would be extremely difficult to view here on the ground.
For example, the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Oceanor (HICO) can take images of the ocean that
were previously impossible. It records reflected waves of light (including those that are near infrared that
we can’t normally see) and coverts them into images that can reveal what it looks like below the surface
all the way to the ocean floor in many places.
Many of these devices operate by utilizing the electromagnetic spectrum. In this activity, you will explore
this form of energy that behaves as a wave.
Experiment: Controlling the Remote Control (aka Doing the Wave & Messing with the Wave)
1. Run a quick check of your remote control device. Does it function as it’s supposed to without any
interference? (If not, check the batteries.)
2.Experiment with the strength of the signal by changing the distance between the remote control and
the device it is supposed to activate. Point the remote control in different directions. Try to establish
its range and abilities. Record what you observe.
3.Using cotton balls and masking tape, wrap the remote control in cotton — making sure it is
completely covered by you’re still able to operate the remote control. Move to different locations,
trying to activate your device. In the chart below, record what you observe:
Cotton
Aluminum
Plastic Wrap
Wax Paper
Glove
Does the signal
still work?
Does the signal
change with
distance?
Does the signal
change with
direction?
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4.If the device doesn’t work at all, slowly remove the covering until you’re able to get it to function.
What do you notice?
5.Repeat Step 3, using aluminum foil, plastic wrap, wax paper, and rubber glove. Fill in the rest of the
table above.
Overall, what do you notice?
Are there differences between the materials that you used?
Why are some materials more effective than others in blocking the radio waves?
What is a question that would be interesting to pursue as a follow-up to this experiment?
Those Wacky Invisible Waves
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