If there is no light, there is no sight – explore our resources and learn more about the basics of...
Light is made up of wavelengths of light, and each wavelength is a particular colour. The colour we see is...
Sight is one of our senses – it helps us to be aware of our surroundings. The eye contains structures that allow it to perceive light,...
This article explores light pollution and practical ways to minimise it. Readers are introduced to key science ideas including the Bortle scale (a way to measure...
Visible light is the small part within the electromagnetic spectrum that human eyes are sensitive to and can detect. Visible light waves consist of different wavelengths....
Polarised sunglasses look like regular sunglasses, but they are able to filter out the glare from automobile windscreens and the surface of water. The glasses you...
When children draw pictures of the Sun, they often show rays radiating outwards – similar to the image below. These light rays travel in a straight...
Glow-worms are New Zealand’s underground stars. Small but bright, it is no wonder why they attract so many tourists to places such as Waitomo and Paparoa...
This #TeachMeetNZ science session was broadcast live on 10 November 2015. There was a fantastic line-up of New Zealand educators sharing their science teaching experiences as...
Who needs coffee in the morning when you can just shine an orange light in your eyes? A team of European scientists has shown that exposure...
It turns out that all that malarkey from our parents about turning out the light at night and then getting fresh air and sunshine during the...
Refraction is the bending of light (it also happens with sound, water and other waves) as it passes from one transparent substance into another. This bending...
The human eye is a sense organ adapted to allow vision by reacting to light. The cornea and the crystalline lens are both important for the...
Reflection is when light bounces off an object. If the surface is smooth and shiny, like glass, water or polished metal, the light will reflect at...
This article introduces common student alternative conceptions about light based on education research. It is important that teachers are aware of these during a sequence of...
Seeing with two eyes helps people to judge distances and to see in 3D, but even using one eye, there are many clues (often referred to...
An inquiry approach is a method often used in science education. The question bank provides an initial list of questions about our resources looking at light...
Light is a form of energy produced by a light source. Light is made of photons that travel very fast. Photons of light behave like both...
Position: Former Associate Professor, School of Engineering, University of Waikato. Field: Optics, optoelectronics. Rainer was born in Germany where he attended high school and university. He...
Position: former Associate Professor, University of Otago. Field: Ophthalmology. Dr Gordon Sanderson was Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Otago, Dunedin....
Position: Former Senior Lecturer, University of Waikato. Currently founder and director Field: Optics, time-of-flight 3D-cameras Dr Adrian Dorrington was attracted to studying science because of his...
Light interacts with biological materials in several different ways. This field of research is known as biophotonics. Associate Professor Rainer Künnemeyer, from the University of Waikato,...
Associate Professor Gordon Sanderson’s research is in the field of ophthalmology – a scientific field of study that is concerned with anatomy, physiology and diseases of...
Dr Adrian Dorrington from the School of Engineering at the University of Waikato is conducting research in the field of optoelectronics. His work is involved with...
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