Reviews various science activities investigating polarized light. (SL)

A retroreflector is a mirror that removes distortion from a light beam. Describes experiments using the retroreflector as well as related phenomena. (JN)

Describes experiments in which a ball bearing is used as a tool for the study of light and as a kind of photographic lens. Also shows how results from these experiments contribute to an understanding of the nature of light. (JN)

Discusses how the sun's reflection from water offers a means for calculating sloped of waves. Experiments using angles of reflection from a tilted mirror are suggested and explained. A method of counterbalancing dominoes in a stack beyond the edge of a table (using Euler's constant) is also described. (DH)

Provides background information on and experiments for determining the spectra of streetlights. Procedures for taking photographs of the spectra produced are included as well as discussions of sodium and mercury spectra. (JN)

Spatial filtering, based on diffraction/interference of light waves, is a technique by which unwanted information in a picture ("noise") can be separated from wanted information. A series of experiments is described in which students can create a system that functions as an optical computer to create clearer pictures. (Author/JN)

Three physics experiments are described, minimizing difficulties for amateur experimenters. One experiment demonstrates the Doppler shift of light, converting the phenomenon into sound. The second measures Planck's constant. The third measures the universal gravitational constant, which does the same in Newton's theory of gravitation. (Author/JN)

Provides information regarding the extra bands of color, termed supernumerary arcs, that sometimes accompany a natural rainbow. Several experiments are described that elucidate the phenomenon of supernumerary arcs, involving the illumination of a hanging water droplet with white light from a projector or monochromatic light from a helium-neon…