GoalPredict and test which things are easiest to see in dim light.
New words
dim · not very brightpale · light in colour, like white or yellowfair test · a test where you change one thing and keep everything else the same
Explanation
In dim light, some things are easier to see than others. Pale colours, such as white and yellow, are easier to see. Shiny things are easy to see too, because they bounce back the light that falls on them. Dark things, such as black or dark blue, are hard to see. They do not bounce back much light. So a white sock is easier to find in a dim room than a black sock. To test this, we use a fair test. We change only the colour of the objects. We keep the light and the distance the same.
Easy to see in dim light
Hard to see in dim light
white
black
yellow
dark blue
shiny silver foil
dark brown
Worked examples
Cup
Which did Tom see first?
white cup
✓ first
black cup
✗ later
Tom puts a white cup and a black cup in a dim room. He sees the white cup first. His prediction was right.
A shiny foil star is easy to see in a dim room. A dull, dark brown sheet of card next to it is hard to see.
A fair test: Tom keeps the torch, the distance and the room the same. The only thing he changes is the colour of the cup.
Class activity
Dim room test (with an adult): choose four things, for example a white sock, a black sock, a shiny spoon and a dark book. Predict which will be easiest to see in a dim room. Dim the room, or use a room with the curtains closed and a very small light on. Look from the same spot. Which can you see first? Write your results in a table with the columns: object, easy to see, hard to see. Was your prediction right?
Practice
1
Lena put four socks on her bed in a dim room. She counted how long it took to spot each one. Which sock did she see first? Which was hardest to see?
Sock
Seconds to spot it
white
2
yellow
3
dark blue
9
black
12
She saw the white sock first (2 seconds). The black sock was hardest to see (12 seconds). Pale colours are easier to see in dim light.
2
Dilnoza wants a ball she can find easily in the park at dusk. Which colour should she choose?
Ball colour
A
dark green
B
black
C
bright yellow
C, the bright yellow ball. Pale and bright colours are easier to see in dim light.
3
Why are shiny things easy to see?
They bounce back (reflect) the light that falls on them.
4
In a fair test about colour, what do we change and what do we keep the same?
We change the colour. We keep the light, the distance and the type of object the same.
