Understanding Wave Motion and Power Loss: Interaction of light with matter

This lab is designed to help students understand how light waves interact with matter. This activity is analogous to light traveling through optical media having different indices of refraction (densities). This is a two part lesson. In part 1 students use slinky and snaky toys to explore wave motion. In part 2, they make a Jell-O waveguide to simulate how fiber optic cables transmit electronic data.