PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color

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This item is a problem set designed for the high school science classroom, specifically for use with the PhET simulation "Color Vision". It provides guided instruction to students as they explore the simulation, with opportunities for them to advance hypotheses as they go. The resource focuses on two areas: 1) what happens when the primary colors of light are mixed in different gradients, and 2) The effects of using colored light filters. Printable in Word format, this item is appropriate for use in grades 9-12. SEE RELATED ITEMS on this page for a link to the simulation "Color Vision", plus a related simpler problem set on additive and subtractive colors.

This resource is part of a large and growing collection designed using principles from physics education research and refined based on student interviews.

Please note that this resource requires Java.

Additional context for this material is provided by the ComPADRE-SERC Pedagogic Service.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Optics - Color = Synthesis and Analysis of Color - The Eye	- High School	- Instructional Material = Activity = Interactive Simulation = Problem/Problem Set - Assessment Material

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
- Learners	- application/java	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2007 PHET and University of Colorado
Additional information is available.
SERCs:: Link to Material; Link to Material
Keywords:: additive colors, color, filter, light, monochromatic beam, primary colors, subtractive colors, vision
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created May 27, 2009 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: February 22, 2025 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 7, 2007
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

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Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9011">PhET. PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color. Boulder: PhET, December 7, 2007.</a>

AIP Format

, Version 1.0 (PhET, Boulder, 2007), WWW Document, (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024).

AJP/PRST-PER

PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color, Version 1.0 (PhET, Boulder, 2007), <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024>.

APA Format

PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color. (2007, December 7). Retrieved March 19, 2025, from PhET: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024

Chicago Format

PhET. PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color. Boulder: PhET, December 7, 2007. https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024 (accessed 19 March 2025).

MLA Format

PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color. Vers. 1.0. Boulder: PhET, 2007. 7 Dec. 2007. 19 Mar. 2025 <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Title = {PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color}, Publisher = {PhET}, Volume = {2025}, Number = {19 March 2025}, Month = {December 7, 2007}, Year = {2007} }

Refer Export Format

%T PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color %D December 7, 2007 %I PhET %C Boulder %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024 %O 1.0 %O application/java

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source %D December 7, 2007 %T PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color %I PhET %V 2025 %N 19 March 2025 %7 1.0 %8 December 7, 2007 %9 application/java %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/activities/3024

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The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References.

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The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ.

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PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Introduction to Light & Color:

Covers the Same Topic As PhET Teacher Ideas and Activities: Color Vision (or Seeing Colors)

An additional problem set on Color Vision, also developed by the PhET project team. This resource introduces students to the fundamentals of additive and subtractive colors. It is appropriate for middle school or for less advanced high school students.

relation by Caroline Hall

Accompanies PhET Simulation: Color Vision

This is the simulation which this problem set was designed to accompany.

relation by Caroline Hall

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