Many students believe that light can travel further at night than in the daylight
Misconception
Diagnostic Resources
The following worksheets may help to identify whether students hold this particular misconception.
For more information, see the University of York BEST website.
Resources to Address This
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How far can light travel? (5-11)
Ref - SPT HS01 TL03
Although the spreading and scattering of light are not referred to in all curricula, they are certainly necessary to offer any kind of plausible explanation for the relatively short range of a torch beam. One teaching colleague regales his pupils with the mantra:
Teacher: Light doesn't run out, it spreads out!
View Resource -
How far can light travel? (11-14)
Ref - SPT Li01 PN06
This is the same resource as the 5-11 example, but with more additional approaches.
View Resource
References
The following studies have documented this misconception:
- Osbourne, J., Black, P., Smith, M., and Meadows, J. () Primary SPACE project - light. Liverpool University Press.