The Homemade Projector STEM Challenge

A lens is a transparent piece of glass or plastic with curved sides for concentrating or spreading apart light rays. A lens works by refraction- the bending of light as it passes through a transparent object.  A lens is often used to form an image of an object by focusing rays of light that come from the object.

Lenses can be used by themselves or in combination with other lenses.  Single lenses are used in eyeglasses, contact lenses, magnifying glasses, and viewfinders.   Often, lenses are combined together to make a compound lens.  Compound lenses are used in instruments like cameras, binoculars, microscopes, and telescopes.  

In this STEM Challenge, students create a homemade projector using a simple magnifying glass to project a cartoon from their Smart Phone. The light from the Smart Phone is refracted inward by the convex lens provided by the magnifying glass.

This STEM Challenge provides an excellent chance for students to apply what they have been learning about light and lenses.