High School / HS-09
Available Grades 9–12 Optics & EO
Build a diffraction-grating spectrometer with a camera, calibrate it against known emission lines, and measure the spectra of lamps and filters.
Students build a light-tight birch box with a slit, a 1000 lines/mm transmission grating and a USB webcam, then turn a camera image into a calibrated spectrum: pixel → wavelength using the mercury lines of a fluorescent lamp (NIST wavelengths), checked against Fraunhofer lines in daylight. With that instrument they measure LED spectra, the transmission of filters, and the Beer–Lambert law for food dye, including where it stops being linear and why.
No laser is used, needed or allowed. Calibration is done with fluorescent-lamp mercury lines (see safety.md).
Students will:
Every high school pack includes worked math and physics, prediction-versus-measurement labs, at least two design-and-test iterations, data logging, a rubric, and documentation templates, plus printable Builder's Corner build journal pages.
Parts, specs, quantities, and estimated unit costs, with places to buy. Prices change; anything marked as an estimate is an estimate. Links were checked when the BOM was written.
Totals are computed from the line items below. Prices were read from vendor pages on the dates shown and will change. Rows tagged estimate have no verified link and are planning numbers only.
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O1 | USB webcam, 720p Logitech C270 HD · 720p/30 fps, 55° diagonal FOV (vendor page); the sensor of the spectrometer | 1 | $29.99 | $29.99 | logitech.com Logitech $29.99 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any UVC webcam; a phone camera held to the bulkhead works for Labs 1–2 (re-measure θc) | — |
| O2 | Holographic diffraction grating, 1000 lines/mm, 2 × 2 in (5 pack) Arbor Scientific · linear, embossed holographic film in a slide mount; 1 per station, 4 spares | 1 | $6.00 | $6.00 | arborsci.com Arbor Scientific $6.00 (20+: $5.60) · checked 2026-10-09 · Available (Shopify variant data); page also shows 'Sold out' markup: re-check | Rainbow Symphony 1000 lines/mm linear sheets 6 × 12 in, pack of 10 ($25.00, one pack cuts ~50 squares): https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/products/diffraction-grating-sheets | — |
| O3 | Disposable polystyrene cuvettes, 3.5 mL, 10 mm path (100) Flinn FB2689 (Bio-Rad EDU); ships to schools, museums and science centers only (vendor) | 1 | $19.99 | $19.99 | flinnsci.com Flinn Scientific $19.99 · checked 2026-10-09 · InStock (page data) | Homeschool / individual: labshops.com 3.5 mL PS cuvettes 100/pk, 340–800 nm, $34.99: https://labshops.com/products/p_159-disposable-vis-cuvettes-35ml-x-100 | — |
| O4 | Optional: +4 dioptre close-up lens (a lens popped out of +4.00 reading glasses) Medline NONRG400 unisex reading glasses, strength +4.00; one lens taped flat over the webcam lens moves the slit's image to ≈ 0.85 m, where the fixed-focus C270 is sharper (Lab 4) | 1 | $8.24 | $8.24 | goodearthproducts.com GoodEarth Products $8.24 · checked 2026-10-09 · Available (store .json) | Any +4.00 reading glasses (e.g. Independent Living +4.00 Deluxe, $10.95, in stock 2026-10-09); optional, not in the low total | Pop the lens out with care (adult); polycarbonate edges can be sharp |
| Subtotal | $64.22 | Low-cost path: $55.98 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), any wattage, + clamp-lamp socket The mercury-line calibration source (Hg 404.66 / 435.83 / 546.07 / 577–579 blend). Must pass the grating-slide test (sharp separate lines, not a smooth LED rainbow) | 1 | $12.00 estimate | $12.00 | Hardware store (no link) CFL/linear fluorescent sales are banned in CA (2024/2025) and VT; check your state | Fluorescent (not LED) fixture that passes the grating-slide test (low total = $0); or the school's Hg spectrum tube (teacher only); or daylight Fraunhofer lines (±1.5 nm) | Contains mercury: adult handles; if one breaks follow EPA cleanup guidance (safety.md) |
| L2 | Super bright white 5 mm LEDs (25 pack) Adafruit PID 754 · absorbance light source; one pack serves a classroom | 1 | $6.95 | $6.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $6.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | White LED flashlight behind the cuvette | — |
| L3 | Diffused 5 mm LED pack (5 each of 5 colours) Adafruit PID 4203 · LED spectra (Lab 3): widths and peaks to measure | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $4.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any 5 mm LEDs | — |
| L4 | 3 × AAA battery holder with switch, 2-pin JST Adafruit PID 727 · 4.5 V for the LED through a 220 Ω resistor (≈ 6–11 mA) | 1 | $1.95 | $1.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $1.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | USB 5 V with a 270 Ω resistor | Cut the JST plug and strip leads (adult), or use a JST jumper |
| L5 | Resistors 220 Ω 1/4 W (25) Adafruit PID 2780 | 1 | $0.75 | $0.75 | adafruit.com Adafruit $0.75 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | — | — |
| L6 | AAA alkaline batteries (3) and 4 alligator-clip leads LED power and connections | 1 | $6.00 estimate | $6.00 | Hardware / electronics store (no link) — | Classroom stock | — |
| Subtotal | $32.60 | Low-cost path: $17.60 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Baltic birch plywood 3 mm, 12 × 20 in Wood Vault, 1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant; 2 sheets (box, lid, baffles, sample stage) | 2 | $3.50 | $7.00 | woodvault.com The Wood Vault $3.50 per sheet (1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not confirmed (variant availability not in page HTML) | Any 3 mm laser plywood (slots are 3.2 mm) | — |
| S2 | Black cardstock (slit cards) + matte black acrylic paint + black electrical tape Slit card 0.3 mm; paint inside the box; tape seals corners and lid edge | 1 | $10.00 estimate | $10.00 | Craft / hardware store (no link) — | Black construction paper inside instead of paint | Ventilate while painting |
| S3 | Food colouring (blue, red, yellow), distilled water, plastic pipettes, 100 mL graduated cylinder Beer–Lambert series (Lab 5). Food-grade, non-hazardous | 1 | $12.00 estimate | $12.00 | Grocery / school lab stock (no link) — | Tap water (note: minerals don't matter at these wavelengths) | — |
| S4 | Wood glue, zip ties, masking tape Assembly | 1 | $4.00 estimate | $4.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | Classroom stock | — |
| S5 | Laser cutter access or cutting service 2 sheets birch + 1 black card (≈ 25 min, estimate) | 1 | $10.00 estimate | $10.00 | Makerspace / cut service (no link) — | — | Trained adult operator; card can flare: low power, watch it |
| Subtotal | $43.00 | Low-cost path: $28.00 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Safety glasses, ANSI Z87.1 Z87+ (high-impact) (cutting, LED leads, glassware) 3M SecureFit SF201AF · clear anti-fog polycarbonate lens marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 impact-rated; 3M spec table on strobelssupply.com and safetycompany.com, read 2026-10-09) | 2 | $5.32 | $10.64 | platt.com Platt Electric Supply $5.32 EA · checked 2026-10-09 · 40 in stock (company-wide) | Any glasses marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 high-impact). Not SparkFun SWG-11046: it lists only CE/EN 1836, a sunglass standard, not impact-rated | — |
| T2 | Laptop with Python 3 + numpy (+ opencv-python for capture) One USB port for the webcam | 1 | $0.00 estimate | $0.00 | School (no link) — | Raspberry Pi 4/5 (not priced) | — |
| Subtotal | $10.64 | Low-cost path: $10.64 | |||||
The pack is digital files only. Hardware is bought separately.
These are standards the pack's activities are mapped to by Laue Labs. They are not a certification or endorsement by any standards body or state.
| Activity | NGSS | Common Core Math |
|---|---|---|
| Lab 1 Grating equation | HS-PS4-1 (wave relationships: frequency, wavelength, speed); HS-PS4-3 (wave model of light) | HSG-SRT.C.8 (trig in right triangles) |
| Lab 2 Calibration | HS-PS1-1 / HS-PS4-5 (atomic structure → line spectra; devices that capture information with light); SEP 4 | HSF-BF.A.1 (model a relationship); HSS-ID.B.6 (fit functions, residuals) |
| Lab 3 LEDs and daylight | HS-PS4-3; HS-ESS1-1 (Sun's spectrum and composition) | HSN-Q.A.1 (units: eV, nm) |
| Lab 4 Resolution | HS-ETS1-3 (evaluate a design against criteria and trade-offs) | HSA-CED.A.4 (rearrange formulas) |
| Lab 5 Beer–Lambert | HS-PS1-5 (concentration effects, by extension); SEP 5 (mathematics and computational thinking) | HSF-LE.A.4 (logarithms: A = −log T); HSS-ID.B.6 (linear fit, R²) |
One student or one household.
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One homeschool family, or one co-op group of up to 10 learners with its facilitator(s).
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You may not:
One teacher with up to 30 students in a single class or cohort.
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All licenses: digital files only (hardware not included). Keep Laue Labs attribution on printed handouts. After checkout you get an instant download on the thanks page. License questions, more learners, or site licenses: lance.haney@gmail.com.
