I Can See Clearly Now (11-14)

This resource looks at the effective use of low energy light bulbs and how they have enabled the waterfront at Durban in South Africa to be transformed. The first activity sets the scene by showing how lighting is not only a technical process but has a social impact too. It then presents students with the challenge of finding the best way of producing cheap and even illumination over an area. Students use the supporting information sheets to compare and contrast filament light bulbs and low energy light bulbs They then investigate energy transfer by using a power meter and a light meter to compare energy consumption and effect, displaying their data quantitatively using Sankey diagrams. Finally, students work in groups, generating ideas and using materials to devise a practical solution to design a reflector for a bulb that will produce most even illumination over a stipulated area with the bulb at a stipulated height.