Are we able to See through a paper in Materials and Things – Class 6 Science Experiment

Chapter Name:  Materials and Things

Activity Name: Are we able to See through a paper in  Materials and Things

Activity Description:

Required Items:

1. Sheet of white paper
2. Lighted bulb
3. Oil (a few drops)
4. Torch

Step by Step Procedure:

1. Take a sheet of white paper and hold it up in front of a lighted bulb.
2. Record your observation. Note that you can’t see the bulb clearly through the paper.
3. Add a few drops of oil onto the paper, spreading it evenly.
4. Again, hold the paper up in front of the lighted bulb.
5. Record your observation. Notice that you can now see the bulb through the oily paper.
6. Take a torch and switch it on.
7. Observe whether the light passes through the torch glass.
8. Cover the torch glass with your palm.
9. Record your observation. Note that the light is blocked, and you can’t see the bulb clearly.
10. Cover the torch glass with oily paper.
11. Record your observation. Observe whether the light passes through and if you can see the bulb through the oily paper.

Experiment Observations:

1. When holding the white paper in front of the lighted bulb:
   • Without oil: The bulb is not clearly visible.
   • With oil: The bulb is visible through the oily paper.
2. When using the torch:
   • Light passing through the torch glass: The light is visible and passes through.
   • Covering the torch glass with the palm: The light is blocked, and the bulb is not visible.
   • Covering the torch glass with oily paper: Observe whether the light passes through and if the bulb is visible through the oily paper.

Precautions:

• Handle the lighted bulb with care to avoid burns or accidents.
• Be cautious when using the torch and avoid shining the light directly into the eyes.
• Use a clean and even layer of oil on the paper to ensure consistent observations.
• Ensure a safe and controlled environment for conducting the experiment.

Lesson Learnt from Experiment:

Through this experiment, we learn about the properties of transparency, translucency, and opacity. The observations reveal that:

1. Transparent materials: The light passes through them easily, allowing clear visibility of objects. In the experiment, the torch glass without any covering represents transparency.
2. Translucent materials: These materials allow some light to pass through but not enough to see objects clearly. The oily paper in the experiment demonstrates translucency.
3. Opaque materials: These materials do not allow light to pass through, resulting in no visibility of objects. When the torch glass is covered with the palm or oily paper, it represents opacity.