fun optics experiments

Top 15 Light Related Science Experiments

Light experiments lets us unlock some of nature’s most intriguing riddles and appreciate the magic that illuminates our everyday experiences.

We have carefully selected the best light-related experiments, prioritizing fun and educational experiences that will surely engage young minds.

Our compilation of light experiments will illuminate the minds of students and teachers alike. This curated collection offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the captivating world of light through hands-on activities.

1. Potato Light Bulb

Prepare to be amazed by the power of potatoes in our extraordinary potato light bulb experiments! In these captivating experiments, students will discover the remarkable ability of a humble potato to generate electricity and light up an LED bulb.

Learn more: Potato Light Bulb

2. Bending Light

In these mesmerizing light experiments, students have the opportunity to unravel the mysteries of refraction and explore the wonders of bending light.

3. Light Refraction

By engaging in these experiments, students will not only witness the mesmerizing effects of light refraction but also gain a deeper understanding of the scientific principles behind it.

4. Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment

Step into the fascinating world of light and color with Newton’s Light Spectrum Experiment! Inspired by the groundbreaking discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton, these captivating experiments will take students on a journey to explore the nature of light.

5. Newton’s Prism Experiment

Learn about optics and unravel the mysteries of light with Newton’s Prism Experiment. Inspired by Sir Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking discoveries, these experiments offer a thrilling opportunity for students to explore the phenomenon of light dispersion and the creation of a vivid spectrum of colors.

6. Total Internal Reflection

These experiments provide a hands-on opportunity for students to observe and investigate how total internal reflection can be harnessed in practical applications such as fiber optics and reflective surfaces.

7. Colored Light Experiments

Prepare to immerse yourself in a vibrant world of colors with these captivating colored light experiments! In these hands-on activities, students will uncover the magic of colored light and its intriguing properties.

8. Capture a Light Wave

By employing innovative techniques and tools, students will learn how to capture and analyze light waves, unraveling the secrets hidden within their intricate patterns.

9. Home-made Kaleidescope

Unleash your creativity and embark on a mesmerizing journey of light and patterns with our homemade kaleidoscope experiments! By constructing your very own kaleidoscope, you’ll unlock optical wonders.

Learn more: Home-made Kaleidescope

10. Push Things with Light

Through engaging hands-on activities, students will experiment with the fascinating principles of photon momentum and the transfer of energy through light.

11. Erase Light with a Laser: The Photon Experiment

Can light be erased? Through hands-on activities, students will discover surprising answers. By utilizing lasers, students will learn about the principles of photon absorption and emission, investigating whether it is possible to erase light.

12. Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

By creating your own mirror box, you’ll learn about optical illusions and reflections. In these experiments, students will explore the fascinating interplay between light, mirrors, and geometry.

Learn more: Exploring Shapes and Patterns on a Mirror Box

13. Electromagnetic Spectrum Experiment

Get ready for an illuminating adventure as we dive into the fascinating world of visible light where students will have the opportunity to explore the electromagnetic spectrum and unravel the mysteries of light.

 14. Light Patterns in a Box

By manipulating light sources and objects, students will witness the magic of shadows, diffraction, and interference, resulting in a dazzling display of intricate patterns and colors.

Learn more: Light Patterns in a Box

15. Light Maze

Prepare to navigate a mesmerizing journey through the enchanting world of light with our captivating light maze experiments! In these immersive activities, students will learn about the magic of manipulating light to create intricate mazes and pathways.

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Fun With Optics

Activity type:.

Created more than 400 years ago, the telescope is a tool that has allowed both amateurs and scientists alike to explore the sky in much more detail than they ever could with their naked eyes. All telescopes work in more or less the same way: they collect a large amount of light and focus it into our eyes –or in some cases, into a camera. Because objects that are very far away, like stars, appear very dim to an observer, a lot of light needs to be collected before they can be seen clearly.

In this activity, students will perform several experiments, using simple materials to explore the properties of reflection and refraction and how they work in telescopes. Students also will observe how light can be amplified and focused using different methods, and measure the focal point of a given magnifying glass.

Grade Level: 6th – 8th grade Subject Matter: Physical Science National Standards: NS.5-8.1, NS.5-8.2

[attach telescope]

The year 2009 marked the 400th anniversary of the invention of the telescope. To celebrate its birthday, Science Friday hit the streets of New York City to find out what people know about the telescope and its history. Can you explain how a telescope works?

Activity Materials Magnifying glasses, one for each student or group of students. If possible, use a variety of magnifying glasses of different sizes with different types of lenses. Small mirrors, one for each student Rulers, one per pair of students Index cards, one per pair of students Light bulb and lamp fixture One Permanent marker Pencils

Vocabulary Reflection: the process in which light bounces off a surface, such as a mirror. Refraction: the process in which light passes through a material, like glass or plastic, and bends so that it changes direction. Focal Point: the single place where all the light that is passing through a lens or bouncing off a curved mirror converges. Focal Length: the distance between a lens or curved mirror to the focal point.

1. Begin the lesson by having students watch the Science Friday video “Happy Birthday, Telescope.” Begin a discussion with the students on what they know about telescopes. What do we use telescopes for? How do they work? Why are they important?

2. Tell students that they will conduct a series of experiments on how light interacts with mirrors and lenses, the key components of telescopes. Inform students that at no time should they ever use mirrors or lenses to shine light directly into their own eyes or the eyes of another person — particularly when the light source is the sun.

Experiment 1 – Reflection

1. Assign students to work in pairs. Hand out one mirror and one index card to each pair of students.

2. Challenge students to use the mirror and ambient light in the room to create a spot on their index card that is as bright as possible. Students must place their index card on the table, but can move the mirror into different positions or angles.

3. After a few minutes of exploration, start a discussion reviewing their results. Were they able to create a spot on their index card? Ask students to come up with ideas on how they could make the spot brighter. Have students think about using multiple mirrors instead of just one mirror. Have three students use two and then three mirrors, to see what happens to the spot on the index card.

4. Assign students to groups of three or four, and hand out a mirror to each student. Challenge each group to use the mirrors in their group together to create a bright spot on one index card that is on the table. What method yielded the best results? Ask students to explain why they were able to create a spot on the index card. Did the number of light sources in the room change? How does light reflection relate to this activity?

Experiment 2 – Refraction

Note: When dealing with magnifying glasses, do not use sunlight as the source; it may cause a fire. Close the shades if the sun is shining brightly into the room.

1. Hand out a magnifying glass to each pair of students. Challenge them to use the magnifying glass and ambient light in the room to create a bright spot on the index card that is on the table.

2. Allow students to explore various ways to focus light onto the index card. After a few minutes, have a class discussion to review their results. How did they have to hold the magnifying glass? How far was the magnifying glass from the page? What did the spot look like?

3. Ask students to explain if the magnifying glass reflected or refracted the light. What are the differences between the two?

4. Using a ruler, have students measure the distance that the magnifying glass must be placed from the index card in order to yield the sharpest dot of light. This length is known as the focal length and is the distance from the lens to the focal point, the point where all light passing through the lens converges on one spot.

Experiment 3 – Focal Point

Prep: Take a regular, opaque white incandescent bulb, and use a permanent marker to draw small shapes directly on the bulb. Simple shapes with sharp details, like triangles, stars or thick arrows, are preferable.

1. Place the white bulb in the lamp fixture (without a lamp shade or other obstruction) and center it in the room. Turn the lamp on and turn off any other lights and close the shades, if any. Stand a few inches away from the light and hold an index card up. Ask students to describe how the light looks against the index card. Is it bright or dim?

2. Now take a few steps back and hold up the same index card. How does the light look against the card now? Walk as far back from the light source as possible and hold up the index card. How bright or dim is the light on the card now, compared to what it was before? Ask students to explain why the index card is more dimly lit in the back of the room. Explain how light spreads out in all directions from a light source, and that an index card far away from the source is collecting a much smaller percentage of light than one that is close to the source.

3. Have students work in groups of three or four, and use their mirrors to collectively create a bright spot on an index card that has been placed flat on their tables. How does the light on the index card look? How does it look compared to using the ambient light?

4. Distribute the magnifying glasses. Have each group of students position a magnifying glass and index card so that the shape drawn on the bulb is clearly projected onto their cards. For this step, it would be best to have one student hold up the index card as still as possible and face the light source, while another student changes the position of the magnifying glass with respect to the card. How does the light look? Can any of the shapes be seen clearly? How are they oriented?

5. Using a ruler, have students measure the distance between their magnifying glass and the index card when the image formed is clearest. This distance is known as the focal length of the lens in each magnifying glass. How does the focal length compare among different magnifying glasses, or for other groups of students with the same magnifying glass? How do you think this relates to the way telescopes form images of distant objects?

What's Happening? As light rays from a light source spread out, the light that is received at any point is greatly decreased as it travels farther away from the source. An object twice as far from a light source only receives one-fourth of the original light. An object ten times farther away receives one-hundredth of the original light! This is why even bright stars that are far away can be very difficult to see. In order to see stars more clearly, telescopes use mirrors or lenses to gather and focus as much of this dim light as possible. There are many different types of telescopes, but they all fall into three different categories: reflecting, refracting, and combination telescopes.

In the first experiment, students used a mirror to reflect light from a light source and focus it on a specific point. Reflecting telescopes work in a similar manner by using large mirrors or many small ones to gather large amounts of light and focus that light into a small area, which magnifies the image greatly. The Hubble Space Telescope, for example, is a reflecting telescope.

In the second experiment, students used the lens of a magnifying glass to refract or bend light and focus it on a specific point as well. Refracting telescopes function in the same manner, except they use lenses to bend the light in towards a point.

Curved mirrors and lenses have a point in which all light rays that have passed through them will converge. This is known as the focal point. Flat mirrors have focal points that are infinitely far away, meaning that the light will never converge on a single point. In the second and third experiments, students were able to find the focal point of their magnifying glasses by seeing where the light converged to a single point, or where the light came together to form the best image.

Today, combination telescopes are the most popular, because they use the best features of reflection and refraction to get the best quality image with fewer distortions.

Topics for Science Class Discussion • What are some other science tools that use mirrors and/or lenses to magnify? • Explain the relationship between refraction and rainbows. • How do modern telescopes differ from telescopes built 100, 200 or 300 years ago? • Name some examples in day-to-day life where reflection and refraction is used or seen. Are there any ways that these properties are used to make our lives easier?

Extended Activities and Links Investigate the law of reflection using a mirror, protractor and low-cost laser level (available at any hardware store) by having students measure and compare the angle at which a beam of light hits a flat mirror and the angle at which it bounces off.

Cut thick Mylar plastic sheets (available at hardware or art supply stores) into 4” x 4” squares and distribute to students. Give students flashlights and have them investigate how the focal point changes as the Mylar is curved into a U shape. What happens to the light when it is shone into a semicircle of Mylar and angled onto a page? What happens when it is shone onto the back of the semicircle?

Learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope, view amazing images and find educational activities on the NASA website: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/hubble-index.html

Learn more about the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be NASA’s successor to Hubble: http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

This lesson plan was created by the New York Hall of Science in collaboration with Science Friday as part of Teachers Talking Science, an online resource for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents to produce free materials based on very popular SciFri Videos to help in the classroom or around the kitchen table.

The New York Hall of Science is a science museum located in the New York City borough of Queens. NYSCI is New York City's only hands-on science and technology center, with more than 400 hands-on exhibits explore biology, chemistry, and physics.

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Welcome to the Optics Resource Center

What are you looking for, fun activities.

Discover quick, casual learning resources geared toward the inner child in all of us. 

Educational Tools

Explore curriculum, simulations, and classroom assignments designed for teachers.

What’s more fun than seeing the world in a brand-new way? Light is all around us – learning how it works and how we can harness its power unlocks a universe of curiosity. It’s science, but it feels like magic. Explore the links below for quick and exciting Optics activities that kids and young adults can do anywhere.

Optics Games

Grades: 3-5

Sun, Light and Shadows

Learn how light makes shadows and how you can change shadows.

Light and Dark

Learn what things make light and what things reflect light.

Grades: 4-8

How does the angle of a mirror affect the light it reflects? Find out when you play, How We See.

Grades: 3-8

God of Light

This visual-rich puzzle game lets you become the God of Light that needs to activate the Sources of Life. Use mirrors to light all the sources of life.

Robot Awake: Light Reflection

A fun puzzle game that teaches you about reflecting light. Wake the robots by directing the laser to power them to complete each level. There are 100 challenging levels that get more difficult as you proceed. Can you solve them all?

Laser Light Reflection

An 18-level puzzle game all about reflecting light. Position the mirrors where they will reflect light to specific targets. Figure out how to get around the obstacles in your way!

Grades: 8 - Adult

A 40-level game all about reflecting light. Place blocks where the light beam will be reflected to hit a target.

A Collection of Physics Games

Experience gravity or other forces, discover the states of matter, test your knowledge of the universe, or revise some essential physical quantities, such as weight, volume, direction, and mass … in short, games to test your intuition and discover physics in fun new ways.

Hands-On Optics Activities

Grades: 4-12

Make a Hologram Viewer

Use the template and an acetate sheet to create a hologram viewer for your smart phone or tablet. 

Safely View an Eclipse

Want to safely see the eclipse this April 8th? This video will show you how to make a viewer from simple household materials.

Grades: K-8

Learn About Optics

Learn about Optics with these hands-on activities and projects. Make a pinhole camera or Periscope. Find out if candy can make sparks.

Grades: 9-Adult

Photonics Teaching Resources

What is a quantum computer? Learn about the amazing future in Computers and AI.

Grades: 1-4

How to Make a Rainbow

We often see beautiful rainbows during or right after a rainstorm, but did you know you can make a rainbow at home? Join Jessi and Squeaks from SciShow Kids to learn how!

The Ultimate List of Light Experiments for Kids

From rainbow light refractions to exploring the visible spectrum, there are many fascinating and fun science projects about light to explore. These science lessons are fun, they'll keep you engaged, and wanting to learn more!

Grades: 6-8

Light & Optics for Kids

Explore over a dozen lessons and videos for kids and young adults all about how light behaves. From waves to refraction to Snell’s Law, this is an incredibly comprehensive and accessible way for growing minds to dig into this exciting topic. 

Grades: 9-12

Lens Activity: Looking Through Lenses

A hands-on lesson that explores two kinds of lenses, convex and concave, inviting you to observe their similarities and differences. This activity also tests what happens when using multiple lenses at the same time.

Optics Simulations for Kids

Reflection and refraction.

Learn about light reflection and refraction by modifying the angle of incidence and the index of refraction of the media. Observe how the trajectories of the incident and refracted rays are changed, as well as the ray that is reflected.

Grades: 7-12

Convex Lens Simulation

Discover all about the convex lens, a piece of round glass that is thicker at the center than at the edges. Drag and drop a candle at different positions to see how the lens modifies the light beam's path to form different images.

Concave Lens Simulation

Explore all about the concave lens, a piece of round glass that is thinner at the center than at the edges. Drag and drop a candle at different positions to see how the lens modifies the light beam's path to form different images.

Interactive Newton's Prism

An interactive game that lets you reflect and refract light to experience physics with a Newton's prism. It places Newton's prism in the path of light and observes how reflection and refraction occur, depending on the medium and wavelength of light.

How Things Work!

How does lidar remote sensing work light detection and ranging.

Find out what LiDAR(Light detection and ranging) is and how it works. This technology has been used in forestry measurements and has even been used to discover lost cities in the South American jungles.

The Power of Quantum Computers

Learn how today's computers work and why quantum computers will take their place.

Grades: 6-12

How the internet works

Ever wonder how the internet works? How does your email get to your best friend? What the heck is photonics? Watch this video and find out. 

How a Pulse Oximeter Works

Ever wondered how your watch can find your oxygen saturation levels? This video will show you how pulse oximeters work. Is your smart watch a good tool for a pulse oximeter? 

Grades: 3-6

How Do Mirrors Work?

Have you ever caught your own reflection in a mirror, window, or pond, and wondered ... how do mirrors actually work? Watch this fun and informative episode of Colossal Questions, the show that answers all of life's most pressing questions.

How Rainbows Form and What Shape They Really Are

If you thought rainbows were shaped like an arch, think again. Watch this fun and fascinating exploration of the science behind these colorful spectacles hosted by Nate Byrne from ABC NEWS Breakfast.

The Amazing Engineering Behind Cleaning Robots

Cleaning robots are one of the most popular home appliances, but how do they really work? Watch this fun, educational video about how these robots are designed, by stepping into the shoes of a robot developer.

Grades: 5-12

How The Brain Works

Watch this mindblowing video that dives into how the brain really works, including how scientists have recorded a 3D movie of an entire neural network moving throughout a living animal!

How Do Remote Controls Work?

Learn the basics about how infrared remote controls work in this fun video from popular YouTuber, Rick Osgood.

How Does Night Vision Work?

Night vision may look amazing in the movies, but what is it, exactly? How can a scope or a pair of goggles help you see in near-absolute darkness? Watch this informative video from BrainStuff to find out!

Geometric Optics: A Crash Course

Sunlight, moonlight, torchlight, and flashlight. They all come from different places, but they’re the same thing: light! Watch this video all about how light behaves, and brighten your understanding of Optics.

How Does A Rain Sensor Work?

Watch this ultimate guide to rain sensor operation and diagnosis with the help of animation aids.

Cool Optics Videos

A collection of awesome videos made by Cory Boone and Company at Edmond Optics. Are lightsabers real? How heavy is a cloud? How do lighthouses work? Find all the answers here.

The Human Eye

Have you ever noticed the black circle in your eye (Pupil) changes size?  Why and how do we see the world around us? Click to find out.

Science Publications for Kids

Newsforkids.net.

The name says it all: NewsForKids.net was created by a teacher to make the news accessible to kids. They carefully choose high-interest science stories appropriate to the audience, and present them in a way that’s easy to understand.

Science News Explores

An award-winning publication dedicated to providing topical stories on current events in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for children, their parents, and educators.

Science A to Z

A respected science literacy product that provides comprehensive science units containing an extensive collection of multilevel texts, engaging lessons, and hands-on science experiments for kids.

Science News for Kids

For over 22 years, Pitara has been creating, distributing, and licensing multicultural content to help us discover the simple joys of learning and exploring.

Time for Kids: It’s Rocket Science

Part of the Your Hot Job series from Time for Kids, this article explores the exciting career of Joan Melendez Misner, an aerospace integration engineer at NASA.

Grades: 1-5

Ecosystem for Kids

A free website packed with loads of interactive materials for kids and educators. They have carefully aligned their materials to the science curriculum with activities developed for different levels, from first through fifth grades.

Kids News: Optics

A free, news-based literacy tool for classrooms linked directly to the Australian curriculum. Providing new articles daily and three classroom activities per news article, these informative stories are written by teachers for teachers.

There’s something uniquely accessible about Optics because they’re all around us – in our phones, cars, video game controllers, just to name a few. And experiencing what powers Optics is as simple as opening our eyes and seeing the light. Explore the links below* to help guide your students on their Optics journeys and open them up to a future full of possibilities.

NGSS Curriculum

Grades: K-12

Invention Lesson Plans

Want to teach kids the process of invention? Use this free resource that includes lesson plans, activities and even virtual field trips. The Henry Ford organization has it all here.

Sound and Light

An 11-part unit where students are provided with an understanding of sound and light waves through a "sunken treasure" theme — a continuous storyline throughout the lessons.

20/20 Vision

A hands-on activity where students measure their own eyesight and calculate the average eyesight value for the class. They learn about technologies to enhance vision and how engineers play an important role in developing these technologies.

Waves: The Three Color Mystery

Using the legacy cycle as a model, this five-part unit is designed to teach wave properties, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the anatomy of the human eye in an interactive format that introduces engineering applications and real-world references.

Laser Light Properties

Protect the Mummified Troll! Students learn and use the properties of light to solve this fun challenge.

How Does a Color Sensor Work?

This interactive lesson helps students learn more about how color sensors work, reinforcing their similarities to the human sense of sight.

Spectroscopy

An eight-part curriculum where students learn how using spectrographs helps people understand the composition of light sources. Students create and customize their own spectrographs using simple materials, including holographic diffraction gratings - just like engineers.

Biomedical Devices for the Eyes

Students examine the structure and function of the human eye, while exploring their own design process through the associated activity to help prevent sports-related eye injuries.

Technologies to Measure Eye Pressure

Students discover how radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies transfer energy through waves and how engineers apply this knowledge to develop devices that measure the pressure in the eyes of people with glaucoma.

Designing a Spectroscopy Mission

A hands-on activity where student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a ground- or space-based mission using their creation.

What Does Light See?

This multi-part lesson introduces students to refraction, and asks them to think like engineers to apply that knowledge to real-life scenarios.

Quantifying Refraction

This multi-part lesson helps students learn the relevant equations for refraction (index of refraction, Snell's law) and how to use them to predict the behavior of light waves in specified scenarios.

Concentrated Solar Power

Students learn how the total solar irradiance hitting a photovoltaic (PV) panel can be increased using a concentrating device, such as a reflector or lens.

Electromagnetic Waves - How Do Sunglasses Work?

Students learn about the scientific and mathematical concepts around electromagnetic light properties that enable the engineering of sunglasses for eye protection.

Electromagnetic Radiation

An interactive unit where students solve the hypothetical question: how to apply an understanding of nanoparticles to treat, detect, and protect against skin cancer.

Robotics Peripheral Vision

Designed for advanced programming classes, this unit leads students through a study of human vision and computer programming simulation.

RGB Color Mixing

An interactive challenge where students move through the engineering design process as they write Arduino code and use a “digital sandbox” to create new colors out of the three programming primary colors: green, red, and blue.

Optics Simulations, Labs, Teaching Tools, and Videos

Grade 12 to Adults

Playful Physics

If you have a Linkedin page and enjoy seeing fun physics posts and experiments, follow this link. There are amazing physics demonstrations and activities to enjoy and share with your students. (Note: You will need to follow the Playful Physics page in Linkedin to see the posts.)

Spark alpha explore

Are you an educator looking to add photonics instruction in your class? Spark Photonics will give you all the training and information you need to bring your students to the 21st century, just click here. 

Edmund Optics Scientific Outreach

Edmund Scientific Outreach to high school and middle school students. Edmund Scientific offers an array of learning opportunities including classroom and community experiences, educational resources, and outreach support. Videos and ask an engineer sections. 

Laser-Tec Lessons and Course Teaching Materials

A curated selection of teaching tools from Laser-Tec, founded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Program.

Physics Video Tutorials

A wide-ranging list of physics-related videos presented by Physics Classroom. Videos are always being added, so check back often!

Concave vs. Convex Lenses

Students learn all about concave and convex lenses through visual presentations and interactive quizzes presented by the technology company.

oPhysics: Interactive Physics Simulations

A large collection of physics-related simulations ranging from light mixing, plane mirrors, and rainbow formation.

SPIE Online Resources

A collection of Optics labs, lessons, videos and other resources from SPIE. The activities are hands on and virtual. Many have an engineering component.

PhET Interactive Simulations: Color Vision

A creative simulation that helps students learn about color vision, examining the difference between single bulb and RGB bulbs. To access PhET teaching tools, a free online account must be set up.

Science Wiz: Light

Interactive activities, games, wordplay, and links that enrich and extend the content in the ScienceWiz™ Light book and kit (sold separately).

Explore over a dozen lessons and videos for kids and young adults about how light behaves. From waves to refraction to Snell’s Law, this is an incredibly comprehensive and accessible way for growing minds to dig into this exciting topic. 

PhET Interactive Simulations: Wave Interference

Students learn how to make waves, design experiments, create an interference pattern with two sources, and determine ways to change the pattern. To access PhET teaching tools, a free online account must be set up.

PhET Interactive Simulations: Basic Wave Behavior

An interactive simulation where students predict the behavior of waves through varying media and at reflective endpoints. To access PhET teaching tools, a free online account must be set up.

PhET Interactive Simulations: Bending Light

An interactive simulation that teaches students about bending light, Snell’s law, and more. To access PhET teaching tools, a free online account must be set up.

Physlet® Physics 3 Optics

Interactive illustrations, explorations, and problems for introductory physics, all related to Optics.

A hands-on lesson that explores two kinds of lenses, convex and concave, inviting students to observe their similarities and differences. This activity also tests what happens when using multiple lenses simultaneously.

PhET Interactive Simulations: Lens and Mirrors

An interactive simulation that helps students explain how an image is formed by a converging or diverging lens or mirror using ray diagrams. To access PhET teaching tools, a free online account must be set up.

Laser-Tec Professional Development and Resources

A series of online courses to help educators investigate and strengthen their knowledge of lasers, photonics, and fiber optics technologies.

Optics Magazines and Trade Journals

Featured articles from the International Society for Optics and Phonetics (SPIE), including the latest news about all things Optics.

Laser-Tec News

Laser-Tec publishes a monthly newsletter called the Optics and Photonics Education News (OPEN) where they share the latest news and updates in curriculum materials, resources, events, jobs for graduating students, as well as information related to partner colleges and members of the laser, Optics, photonics, and fiber optics industry network.

A robust news source featuring daily coverage of the Optics and photonics industry and the markets that it serves.

Physics News: Optics and Photonics

An enormous, constantly-updating collection of the latest Optics news.

The largest online collection of peer-reviewed Optics and photonics content.

Science Daily: Optics

Breaking news about the latest discoveries in science, health, the environment, technology, and more — from leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.

Laser Focus World: Optics

A comprehensive Optics news resource featuring articles and other content that discuss precision Optical components, systems, and applications.

The American Precision Optics Manufacturers Association (APOMA)

Represents a broad constituency of precision Optics manufacturers and the supporting industry, along with academic associates whose mutual interest is the advancement and expansion of Optics manufacturing and technology.

SciTech Daily: Optics News

All the latest Optics news from SciTechDaily, specializing in science and technology news since 1998.

Nature Portfolio: Optics and Photonics

A collection of Optics articles from Nature Portfolio, servicing the research community by publishing its most significant discoveries - findings that advance knowledge and address some of the greatest challenges we face as a society today.

Science Journal for Kids & Teens

Hundreds of free scientific articles, written for kids and approved by scientists.

Optics Lab Supplies

Educational Fiber Optics Products

Learn about the world of fiber optics and lasers through an education product line for students and science enthusiasts created by Industrial Fiber Optics. This line includes kits, projects, and hands-on learning tools, plus curricula created for middle and high school students. 

Optical Bench Set

This United Scientific Optical bench set from Fisher Scientific is designed for basic geometric Optics experiments, including imaging by lenses and mirrors.

Complete Optical Bench and Attachment Set

This 40-piece set is a fully comprehensive Optical bench and kit relevant to an entire year of Optical coursework.

PASCO Basic Optics System

The PASCO Basic Optics System is a comprehensive Optics set that supports more than a dozen hands-on investigations right out of the box. It’s a staple of university physics labs around the world.

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Hands-On Optical Activities