Glue a 12-inch square of balsa wood on a 12-inch square sheet of plywood. Mark a grid on 1 1/2-inch squares over the balsa wood with a ruler and permanent marker. Push a straight pin into the wood at every intersection point on the graph except at the nine points in the front center of the grid. Tie thread around each pin just below the head and trim to 1 1/2 inches long. Screw two 5-inch long pieces of 2-by-4 wood together and set in the front center of the grid. Turn a hair dryer on high heat and aim at the wood block. Observe the movement of the threads. Remove the wood block and replace it with a cylindrical oatmeal container. Turn on the hair dryer and aim in the same place. Observe and record the differences in wind flow around a rectangular and cylindrical structure.
Construct an original lighthouse apparatus with calcium oxide, hydrogen and oxygen for students to observe the evolution of commercial illumination. Purchase a 2.5kg unit of calcium oxide, 23L of pressurized oxygen and 23L of hydrogen. Store the gases in separate gasometers that combine into a single chamber with a series of three wire gauze filters and one expulsion jet. Science teachers can order these from an educational supplier, or advanced scientists may design their own. Follow package instructions to crystallize lime. Direct the gas expulsion jet at the lime crystal to illuminate. Use a stopwatch to determine how long the original lime lights would supply visual warning to passing ships and discuss the safety hazards created by this early light source.
Lighthouse construction teaches students about architecture and simple electrical circuits. Bore a small hole in the lid of a plastic coffee canister and insert a flashlight bulb. Cover with a clear plastic cup and tape the cup to the lid. Bore a small hole in the base of the canister. Place a D cell battery in the bottom of the coffee can. Connect the bulb to the battery using crocodile clips and circuit wire. Run additional circuit wire to a toggle switch through the hole in the bottom of the coffee can to turn the lighthouse on and off. Place the lid of the coffee can and close to complete construction of the lighthouse.
Gather the various sources of light used in lighthouses since their first use, including candles, whale oil, kerosene, lime and electric light. Test each type and observe the brightness emission, energy required, material cost and length of time the source illuminates before it is consumed and extinguished, as well as the health risks posed by each source to lighthouse keepers. Chart and graph results and present findings to the class. Discuss the importance of scientific innovation as a class with respect to lighthouses and propose additional modern-light sources for test and comparison in a secondary experiment.