The curved shape of the magnifying lens causes light rays to bend and focus on an image. When we look through the lens, we can use it to make writing or some other object appear larger. However, the magnifying lens can also be used to make something smaller. The light from the bulb is bent and focused on the wall when the lens is held far from the lamp and close to the wall. The image is much brighter than the surroundings. This is because all the light falling on the surface of the lens is concentrated into a much smaller area.
When sunlight is concentrated by passing it through a lens, the result can be an intensely bright and not spot of light. Even a small magnifying glass can increase the intensity of the sun enough to set wood and paper on fire. We are using a light bulb rather than sunlight for this experiment because concentrated sunlight Can be very harmful to your eyes. NEVER LOOK AT A CONCENTRATED IMAGE OF THE SUN.
The United States Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado uses solar energy to operate a special furnace. This high-temperature solar furnace uses a lens to concentrate sunlight. A heliostat (a device used to track the motion of the sun across the sky) is used so that the image reflected from a mirror is always directed at the same spot. The lens is used to concentrate sunlight from a mirror to an area about the size of a penny. This concentrated sunlight has the energy of 20,000 suns shining in one spot.
In less than half a second, the temperature can be raised to 1,720° C (3,128° F) which is hot enough to melt sand. This high-temperature solar furnace is being used to harden steel and to make ceramic materials that must be heated to extremely high temperatures.
Concentrated sunlight also has been used to purify polluted ground water. The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight can break down organic pollutants into carbon dioxide, water, and harmless chlorine ions. This procedure has been successfully carried out at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California. In the laboratory, up to 100,000 gallons of contaminated water could be treated in one day.
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I am sorry you’re having trouble – I’ll have my team connect with you right away to find out exactly which sections you’d like to preview! 🙂
Aurora
So thankful I’m not the only one. Curious what I paid the $1 for to “gain access” or join. It seems nothing is available and thus, makes it practically impossible to decide to choose this curriculum or not.
Ditto to the posters above – Just joined the trial and would like to follow by grade (6th specifically) but there doesn’t seem to be anything available to us. Also, there doesn’t seem to be lesson path to follow under Grade Levels like there is under Topics. Very confusing.
No problem – I’ll have my team connect with you right away!
Hi,
It says I don’t have access to this experiment. We are on a trial right now. I can’t figure out if we want to buy the program until I am able to try it.
Thank you.
I’ll have my team connect with you also. Did you see the note at the top of the Grade Levels page on how to request additional units?
We are also having the same problem… we are going to use the 6th grade units in order, as we are in a charter and are supposed to follow national standards…
Julie and Mere
I am so sorry you’re having trouble! I’ll have my team contact you right away.
I am having the same problem as Luanna. I cannot access any units in any of the 3 sixth grade areas of study. I am confused as well. I have not been able to use even one lesson during my $1 trial.
I’ll have my team connect with you right away to find out what the problem is. Sorry for the trouble!
I am really confused. I don’t have access to any of the 6th grade units. I have emailed, but no response. So far my free trial has been disappointing.