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Set up some red, green, and blue lights and build a simple pinhole viewer to investigate colorful and creative mixtures of light.
Build your pinhole viewer:
Put together your light source:
Poke multiple holes in your foil with the pushpin. Try creating an interesting pattern, shape, picture or word. Once you’re done, turn on one, two or three of your colored bulbs and hold your viewer up to the lights. Orient the viewing device so the foil side is closer to the lights and the wax paper is facing you. Hold the viewer so the light shines through the foil and makes an image on the wax paper. What do you see? Does the image look as you expected?
What happens when you rotate the viewer in your hand, move it closer and farther to the light, or walk around the light source? If you’re doing this activity with others, have everyone share his/her viewer around and take turns looking at each other’s creations.
What do you think will happen you change the lights? Experiment with different color combinations by turning bulbs off and on, dimming them, and/or blocking them with your hands.
Get a fresh piece of foil and make something new. Try more holes, try bigger or smaller holes, try holes that are closer or farther apart. You can also use different materials for your viewer, instead of wax paper or foil, or try different kinds of tubes and light bulbs. Experiment, use different techniques, be creative!
Using art in science activities helps promote creativity, increases student engagement, and leads to good questions. Making art leads to experimentation, investigation, discovery, a deeper understanding of science concepts and a sense of ownership. This activity draws upon concepts explored in the related "Poking Fun at..." Snacks listed below.
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Attribution: Exploratorium Teacher Institute