Colour science
How do we make light? What is colour? Why do newspapers have strange coloured spots at the edges? Find out in our light show.
From lightbulbs of all sorts to coloured inks and printers, from theatrical spotlights to the blacklight at the disco, the world as we see it is all about light and colour.
A range of surprising demos helps us to explore how we make light, what we mean by colour, and how we can use a flame on one side of the room to light a fire on the other, looking at ideas including:
- Mixing coloured lights, and why it's very different from mixing paints.
- Light spectra: What is white light? What is a spectrum?
- Spectra of hot objects (and the effect of temperature), and of sparks in different gases.
- The light beyond the rainbow: invisible light (UV and IR).
Curriculum links:
Age range - family shows:
