The very nature of science is discoveries, and the best of those discoveries are the ones you don't expect. - Neil deGrasse Tyson
About this assignment
You will have the opportunity to discuss this assignment with your peers. However, each students will submit an individual paper for marking.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss Optics concepts
- Review main physics concepts related to vision and optical instruments
- Apply physics concepts to real-life examples
- Recognize the role physics and technology play in our life
To Do
Task 1
Exploration
To Do
1. The evolution of the human eye - Joshua Harvey (2015).
2. Discuss it with your group members and answer the following questions:
- What is vision?
- Yes of animals and humans, how are they similar and different?
3. Record the summary of your answer to include in your assignment paper for submission.
4. Create a concept map of 7 to 10 physics related concepts in this video. Make sure to include the links between the concepts that explain how these concepts are related.
You can use technology tools to do this or draw on paper and take a picture of it to add to your assignment for submission.
Task 2
Critical Thinking
To Do
1. Watch the video How optical illusions trick your brain - Nathan S. Jacobs (2014).
2. Discuss the information with your group members and answer the following questions:
- What is optical illusion?
- Improving the contrast of an image (making the dark regions darker and the light regions lighter) helps us to identify what?
- Which part of the face does our brain pay the most attention to?
- Humans rely heavily on light and our sense of vision to see the things around us. Which animals use a completely different sense (other than vision) to see the things around them? Explain.
3. Record the answers to the questions to include in your assignment paper for submission. Make sure the answers are detailed and include the terms and ideas we discuss in this course. Use diagrams if necessary.
Task 3
Application
To Do
1. Watch the video Eye vs. camera - Michael Mauser (2015).
2. Discuss this video with your peers.
3. Answer the following questions:
- How a human eye is similar to a camera?
- How a human eye is different from a camera?
- Scientists and engineers have learned how to do many things better by studying living organisms. What are some of the features in the human eye that might be used to make more efficient vision systems for robots?
- What improvements might you like to make to the human eye?
4. Record the responses to these questions.
Task 4
Reflection
1. Watch this video about change blindness.
2.What is change blindness?
3. What have you learned by doing this activity? State three ideas.
4. Come up with one application of what you learned to everyday life or health related areas of our life. Explain briefly physics behind these applications.
Important
When using images or maps write your name under them if you created the images. If you use the work of other people, make sure you use either images from public domain or with Creative Commons license. Also, find the reference information to your image source (author, year, website link) and state it under the image.
The universe is made of stories, not atoms. - Muriel Rukeyser
Credits:
Created with images by fabio lamanna - "The Milky Way and the starry sky over the French Alps and the majestic Barre des Ecrins." • Africa Studio - "Vision concept. Eye glasses on wooden table"