Detail Page
written by
Alan Schwabacher
published by the American Museum of Natural History
This is a detailed instruction guide for building a spectroscope out of inexpensive materials. A spectrometer or spectroscope is an optical device that separates visible light into its component colors. In this classroom experiment, students will use low-cost diffraction gratings (readily available from scientific supply stores), a shoebox, tape, and index cards to construct a spectroscope. As students look through the slit at one end of the shoebox, they will see the light "sorted" by frequency into a spectrum of colors.
This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.
Topic: Nature and Behavior of Light
Unit Title: Visible Light and Color Using a spectroscope, students can see that a single color of light is really comprised of a combination of colors, called a spectrum. This fun activity by the Exploratorium Museum shows them how to build a spectroscope out of a shoebox and other low-cost materials. The key "ingredient" of the spectroscope is a diffraction grating, a device with multiple evenly-spaced parallel slits to let light through. Don't worry...the diffraction grating material can be cheaply obtained. Link to Unit:
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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=3915">Schwabacher, Alan. Building a Spectroscope. New York: American Museum of Natural History , January 1, 2002.</a>
AIP Format
A. Schwabacher, (American Museum of Natural History , New York, 2002), WWW Document, (https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf).
AJP/PRST-PER
A. Schwabacher, Building a Spectroscope (American Museum of Natural History , New York, 2002), <https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf>.
APA Format
Schwabacher, A. (2002, January 1). Building a Spectroscope. Retrieved November 13, 2024, from American Museum of Natural History : https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf
Chicago Format
Schwabacher, Alan. Building a Spectroscope. New York: American Museum of Natural History , January 1, 2002. https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf (accessed 13 November 2024).
MLA Format
Schwabacher, Alan. Building a Spectroscope. New York: American Museum of Natural History , 2002. 1 Jan. 2002. 13 Nov. 2024 <https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{
Author = "Alan Schwabacher",
Title = {Building a Spectroscope},
Publisher = {American Museum of Natural History },
Volume = {2024},
Number = {13 November 2024},
Month = {January 1, 2002},
Year = {2002}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Alan Schwabacher %T Building a Spectroscope %D January 1, 2002 %I American Museum of Natural History %C New York %U https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf %O text/html
EndNote Export Format
%0 Electronic Source %A Schwabacher, Alan %D January 1, 2002 %T Building a Spectroscope %I American Museum of Natural History %V 2024 %N 13 November 2024 %8 January 1, 2002 %9 text/html %U https://www.amnh.org/content/download/45894/703630/file/du_u03_spectroscope.pdf Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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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. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. This resource is stored in 9 shared folders. You must login to access shared folders. Building a Spectroscope:
Is Part Of
Exploratorium: Snacks About Light
A link to the full index of more than 40 activities developed by the Exploratorium on the topic of light. relation by Caroline HallKnow of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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