1. When a beam of white light passes perpendicularly through a flat pane of glass, it is not dispersed into a spectrum. Why not?

2. Light of what color is scattered most of atmosphere? Least?

3. If the earth had no atmosphere, what would the color of the sky be during the day?

4. Radio waves are able to diffract readily around buildings, as anybody with a portable radio receiver can verify. However, light waves, which are also electromagnetic waves, undergo no discernible diffraction around the buildings. Why not?

5. Conduct the following experiments.

• Conduct "A Scattering Experiment"

We can verify the origin of the blue sky by adding a few drops of milk to a glass of water and then shining light from a flashlight through the mixture. If we look at the glass from the side, perpendicular to light beam, the light scattered by the milk droplets will appear blue. If we look at the glass opposite the flashing towards the beam, it will have an orange tint.

Place a pencil in a clear glass of water so that a portion of it is in the water and a portion of it is out of the water. Look at the pencil from different angles and describe what you see.

• Use a CD or DVD and a strong light source (like a flashlight or a fairly focused lamp, but NOT a laser pointer) and shine the light on the surface of the disk at an angle and then view it from the other side. Adjust the position of item and the lighting in the room and see if you can see anything going on.

Post to the discussion below your findings to each of the experiments

6. When you look at your reflection in the inside, concave side of a spoon, your image appears upside down. Why? Discuss how your distance from the spoon and the degree of curvature of the spoon affects your image.