Seeing Color with Light Wavelengths

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Objective

I can explain how the human eye perceives different colors based on the wavelengths of light.

Part 1 of 4

Warm-up video

Be Smart · 10:00Vetted channel

We don't generate video — this one is by Be Smart on YouTube. The practice questions and exit ticket below were drafted by AI for this objective, and every question is editable in the teacher guide.

Part 2 of 4

Key concepts

3 concepts

  1. 1

    According to physics, a color is a unique wavelength of electromagnetic radiation in a narrow part of the spectrum.

  2. 2

    Our eyes have three types of cones that absorb different ranges of colors: short, medium, and long.

  3. 3

    Our visual system uses four elementary colors sensed in three channels: redness vs. greenness, blueness vs. yellowness, and dark vs. light.

Part 3 of 4

Practice

12 questions

1

According to the video, what determines the color of light from a physics perspective?

2

Explain how the cones in our eyes enable us to see different colors, even though we only have three types of cones.

Part 4 of 4

Exit ticket

Quick comprehension check

Explain how the three types of cones in the human eye (short, medium, and long) work together to allow us to perceive a wide range of colors based on the wavelengths of light.

Sample answer included in the free materials

Get the materials

Teacher guide, student handout, and slides — free, in Google Docs format

  • Teacher Guide

    Complete lesson plan with answer keys and alternate activities

  • Student Handout

    Printable worksheet

  • Slides

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