How do we send information over light around the globe at the speed of light? Fiber Optics and total internal reflection! Get a first hand look at the STEM of how we use laser light to transmit information from here, to there at the speed of light!
Grade Range: 6 to 12
Duration: 1/2 Hour – 1 Hour
Supplies:
- Laser Pointer or Laser Blox
- Lumi Rod
NGSS Connections
PS4 Waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer
- Digitized information can be transmitted over long distances without significant degradation. High-tech devices, such as computers or cell phones, can receive and decode information – convert it from digitized form to voice and vice versa. (4-PS4-3)
- The path that light travels can be traced as straight lines, except at surfaces between different transparent materials (e.g. air and water, air and glass) where the light path bends. (MS-PS4-2)
- Multiple technologies based on the understanding of waves and their interactions with matter are part of everyday experiences in the modern world (e.g. medical imaging, communications, scanners) and in scientific research. They are essential tools for producing, transmitting and capturing signals and for storing and interpreting the information contained in them (HS-PS4-5)
