Science of Colour

Cymraeg

The Science of Colour

Taking a closer look at the colours of light and the effects they can have on how we see objects.

This workshop aims to investigate what produces an objects colour.

Why are the primary colours of light different to those for paint? How would objects look under different lighting conditions?

To discuss or book this or any of our other workshops, please contact Tally Roberts

Equipment provided

We provide a delivery officer with a PowerPoint presentation.

Additional resources and equipment for a more hands-on approach to the experimental aspects of this workshop are currently being sourced/created/tested.

What you need to supply

We shall need access to a large presentation screen or projector which is high resolution with good colour calibration.

If this is not available, we would suggest having computers available for learners to view the demonstrations on themselves - we would then e-mail these slides over to be made accessible beforehand. Alternatively, we can provide a set of up to 20 laptops (subject to availability due to Covid restrictions and re-purposing) to use for this workshop.

Length of workshop

This workshop is 45-60 minutes.

Age groups

We vary the content depending on the age of our audience. However, the basis of light being made up of different colours may not be understood by learners under the age of 10.

For years 6-9 (ages 10-14), we focus on how we perceive colour. At GCSE (ages 14-16) we look more at the absorption and reflection differences. For A-Level (ages 16-18), we expand out beyond the visible spectrum and put the enphasis more on wavelength than colour.

Links to other workshops

This works well as a stand-alone workshop. However, it does link in with the work we've been doing at Aberystwyth University on the PanCam mounted to the ExoMars Rover. We offer talks from those involved on this project and why it is important to use colour calibration targets on planetary exploration vehicles.

Virtual delivery requirements

This workshop does not currently have a hands-on aspect, so are more than happy and able to deliver this virtually. The only alteration you would need to make is to ensure that the presentation screen/projector is connected to either Teams or Zoom video conferencing software.

As an alternative, we have made a KS3 (ages 11-14) versions of the material available on our Outreach Hub and through our TES Store.