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Lovely light beam experiment science experiment : Fizzics Education

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Lovely light beam experiment

Lovely light beam experiment

Follow FizzicsEd 150 Science Experiments:

You will need:

  • A clear plastic bottle
  • Water
  • A flashlight
  • Aluminium foil
  • A dark room

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Lovely light beam science experiment - materials needed
1 Lovely light beam science experiment - rolling water bottle in foil

Wrap the sides of the bottle in aluminium foil.

2 Lovely light beam science experiment - foil around water bottle cap

Fill the bottle with water and turn off the lights.

3 Lovely light beam science experiment - torch aimed at the bottom of the bottle

As you turn the bottle upside down, to pour the water out, shine the torch through the base of the bottle.

4 Lovely light beam science experiment - green laser light internal refraction within water stream

The lights shines through the water and creates a beam of light that pours from the mouth of the bottle. A stream.

5 Trapped laser light
6 Teacher showing how to do an experiment outside to a group of kids.

Online courses for teachers & parents

– Help students learn how science really works

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7 A burst of rainbows coming out of a white light source

Get the Unit of Work on Light & Colour here!

  • What is colour addition vs subtraction?
  • What is opacity, translucence & transparency?
  • What is the difference between refraction & reflection?
  • Explore UV light, lenses, thermochromism and more!

Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more

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Why Does This Happen?

The light is internally bouncing within the water stream. Producing a nicely focused beam of light.
Light travels through optical cables in a similar fashion, bouncing through the cables to convey information between users. This process of light bouncing within a substance as it travels is known as Total Internal Reflection.

Variables to test

More on variables here

  • What happens when you remove the aluminium foil from the bottle?
  • Try using a laser pointer with adult supervision. Does this work better than the flashlight? Why? Try different laser types.
  • How far can the water fall and still show the trapped light effect?

A man with a glove above a liquid nitrogen vapour cloud

Learn more!

Comments

15 thoughts on “Lovely light beam experiment

  1. I’m trying to do this experiment but I was wondering will the amount of times I wrap the foil around the plastic bottle change anything?

    1. Hi Aimie!
      Wrapping the bottle a couple of extra times will help with light being less likely to leave the sides. Give it a try and let us know if there is a difference!

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