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“Project LITE: Light Inquiry Through Experiments” is a software, curriculum and materials development project located in the Science and Mathematics Education Center at Boston University. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education through Grant numbers 9950551, 0125992, and 0715975.
This opening page links to several web sites individually developed as part of
the project.
LITE 1 . This site was developed during the proof-of-concept
phase of Project LITE between 1999 - 2001. It contains JAVA applets, some of
which were designed to be used in conjunction with an associated kit of optical
materials.
LITE Vision for Flash Player 10. This part of the site includes a range of visual effects and illusions. Many of the applets allow the user to explore, manipulate and enhance the phenomena under study.
LITE Vision (old). This part of the LITE site runs
under Flash Player 9 or below.
LITE Spectrum Explorer 2.0. This software can be run either
as a JAVA applet over the web or as an application. It allows the user to explore
physical aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum, particularly the emission
and absorption of light.
LITE Spectrum Explorer 3.0 beta. Requires JAVA Web Start.
LITE Inkjet Science.This section of the Project LITE web site contains links to PDF files of objects that can be printed with an inkjet or laser printer and then assembled. Each three dimensional model allows the observer to explore aspects of depth perception that cannot be fully probed using a two dimensional computer screen alone.
Vectorized LITE. This section of the Project LITE web site contains PDF images that illustrate a variety of visual phenomena. These files can be downloaded and printed at any scale and still retain the sharp edges which facilitate the efficacy of most of the effects. All of these phenomena gain strength from being displayed in a large format, say a yard (or meter) on a side.
LITE Spinning Tops. In this section of the Project LITE web site, we have posted a number of surface patterns for spinning tops. They were designed to fit onto CDs and DVDs. With a suitable spindle running through the center of the CD or DVD, the resulting top can be spun around its central axis. Depending on the rotation speed and lighting, these patterns give rise to a variety of visual effects.
LITE iPod and iPhone Apps. Here is a link to the iTunes store where we have posted apps that we have developed about light, color and vision that run on the iPod and on the iPhone.
Binocular LITE. Here is a link to a set of apps that allow the user to explore binocular vision. It has been designed for viewing on an iPhone or on an iPod Touch using Safari. (Versions using Google Chrome on the iPhone, as well as Android versions, will be posted at a later date.) The binocular images - some are stereoscopic, others are not but probe binocular vision more generally - can be explored by parallel free viewing, or by cross viewing, or with the aid of a stereo viewer consisting of a pair of lenses with 2.5 inch separation that have 4 inch - 6 inch focal lengths.
Binocular LITE Version 2. Here is a link to a revised set of apps that allow the user to explore binocular vision. It has been designed for viewing with Safari running on either an iPhone 4 or 5 or on an equivalent iPod Touch. It will also work using Google Chrome on an iPhone. This version of the software will also work on some Android powered smart phones. The binocular images - some are stereoscopic, others are not but probe binocular vision more generally - can be explored by parallel free viewing, or by cross viewing, or with the aid of a stereo viewer consisting of a pair of lenses with 2.5 inch separation, each with the same 4 - 6 inch focal lengths.
For further information, comments or suggestions about Project LITE contact:
Professor Kenneth Brecher, Principal Investigator (Telephone 617-353-3423)
Email: 