Airplanes: Designing for Stealth

Explore this NOVA interactive activity to see how engineers have modified a military plane's sound, shape, and heat emissions to minimize detection.

Amplitude

This interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab shows how a pendulum's amplitude changes as you set it swinging from different distances from its axis, and how the amplitude of a sound wave changes as you adjust the volume.

Astronomical Images in Different Wavelengths

Visible light is just one portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that a telescope may detect. This collection of images produced for Teachers' Domain features radio wave, infrared, visible light, and X-ray images of distant stars and galaxies as well as images of the telescopes designed to detect the various wavelengths of radiation.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum: FRONTLINE

This video segment adapted from FRONTLINE introduces the electromagnetic spectrum and explains how the various types of electromagnetic waves are distinguished by the amount of energy each wave carries.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum: NASA

From radio waves to gamma rays, this video segment from NASA introduces the seven categories of the electromagnetic spectrum and how each type of radiation is part of our everyday lives.

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Frequency

In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab, investigate frequency in terms of trampoline jumps, pendulum swings, and electromagnetic waves.

GPS: Where in the World Are You?

This interactive activity produced for Teachers' Domain illustrates the concepts and technologies that enable the Global Positioning System (GPS) to identify a person's location within a range of a few meters.

How Is a Radio Wave Emitted?

This illustrated essay from A Science Odyssey Web site explains the science behind radio waves, including the role of electrons and electromagnetic fields.

Imaging with Radar

This interactive activity from NOVA features synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which uses radio waves to create high-quality images. Examine SAR images of Washington, D.C., and learn about this technology's unique advantages.

Inverse Square Law

This animation from KET's distance learning physics course demonstrates the mathematical formula for a scientific law as it applies to light.

Light Wave Behaviors

Discover the ways light interacts with objects in this interactive activity adapted from NASA.

Making Waves with the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Students explore various types of electromagnetc waves to better understand the electromagnetic spectrum.

Pulsars: Jocelyn Bell

In this video segment adapted from the NOVA, we meet Jocelyn Bell, a graduate student responsible for the discovery of pulsars.

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Pulsars: Little Green Men

The story behind Jocelyn Bell's role in the discovery of pulsars is told in this colorful, comic-book-style resource from A Science Odyssey Web site.

Radio Transmission

This interactive activity from A Science Odyssey tracks the journey of a sound wave from the moment a musician sings into a microphone until his voice reaches the vibrating speakers of an AM Radio.

Radio Waves & Electromagnetic Fields

In this interactive simulation adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, explore how a radio transmitter broadcasts electromagnetic radiation.

Radio Waves: FM vs. AM

This brief essay from A Science Odyssey Web site describes the difference between FM and AM radio waves.

Sound

This interactive simulation, adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, illustrates sound waves. Adjust the frequency and amplitude to see and hear how the waves change.

Spectrometry Explained

Find out how light can be used to identify chemical compounds in this interactive activity adapted from NASA.

Tour the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Take NOVA's interactive tour of the electromagnetic spectrum and find out why your eyes are like antennae for a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation.