Bending Light and Atomic Spectra Materials needed: Simulations: This lab uses the Bending Light simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations; https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-light/latest/bending-light_en.html This lab uses the Atomic Spectra and Composition of Stars simulation at the cK-12 exploration series website: https://interactives.ck12.org/simulations/physics.html Note - you may have to make a free account. Materials: A glass (or something to hold water) Something to put in the water (for example chopsticks, pencil, spoon, or fork) Student Learning Objectives Describe what happens to light when it shines on a medium. Explain light direction changes at the interface between two media and what determines the angle. Describe the effect of varying wavelength on the angle of refraction. Explain why a prism creates a rainbow. Apply Snell's law to a laser beam incident on the interface between media. Describe the process by which atoms can emit or absorb light for specific wavelengths. Explain the different types of spectra Describe the different things spectra can tell us Describe how astronomers can use spectra to understand distant objects