Description The optic fibre lamp helps showcase how broadband internet works for kids! When light hits a boundary between two different substances it can bend. This bending of light is also known as refraction. Light can refract when it moves between different materials; glass, plastic, water, air etc. Fibre optics take advantage of total internal refraction, whereby the light is completely refracted within the fibre and can then travel quickly through the fibre with only a small loss of energy. This property of light is exploited by optic fibre design for use in hi-speed broadband technology, as the light signals can be encoded to send information across the world. This is done by turning on and off light signals in the correct sequence and sending these signals along optic fibres to be received Teaching ideas for the optic fibre lamp Discuss how fibre optics work with your students. Light travels incredibly quickly: 299,792,458 metres per second in a vacuum. What speed does it travel in other materials? What other communication methods over long distances have people used over the years. Learn how light is encoded with information for materials to read. Research quantum computing. Make a telescope. School science visit that expands on this science teaching resource Light and colour school science incursion
