A simple optics experiment to engage students in scientific inquiry

Abstract

A cone of light appears in a tank of water when a laser pointer shines through the water onto a white piece of paper upon which the tank is sitting. We describe how students can understand the origins of this cone by constructing multiple explanations, then proposing and designing experiments to test their explanations. This process is the foundation of the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) framework, designed to engage students in the reasoning activities similar to those that physicists use to construct and apply new knowledge. We describe typical student ideas and provide a list of equipment and suggestions for facilitating student exploration relating to optics. We also explain the formal physics behind the phenomena that are involved in the experiment. Finally, we suggest how the ISLE framework can be used to help instructors find problems and experiments that engage students in devising and testing multiple explanations.