In this activity, you will shine three different light sources onto glow-in-the-dark stars. You’ll then determine if the light source affects how brightly the stars shine and learn how light is absorbed and emitted.
Recommended Age
This activity is recommended for students in grades 5-8 with the ability to add complexity for students in grades 9-12.
Demonstrations of this activity are acceptable for any K-12 student.
Estimated time
This activity takes approximately 60 minutes to complete.
Pre-requisites
Students should be walked through the slides in the Facilitation Guide and read the Introduction to Light information sheet prior to the activity.
Learning Goals
- Explain what causes an electron to transition to a higher energy level.
- Describe what happens to an electron after it transitions to a higher energy level.
- Describe how glow-in-the-dark materials work.
- Connect the phenomenon of electron transitions to quantum computers.
This activity kit was developed with funds from the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN), with special thanks to the UW-Madison Department of Physics.