Day 1: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Model (LLM) Exploration Project - Middle / High School Science

This blog post represents day 1 of my personal project to attempt to try and use Large Language Models to prompt and generate useful and engaging teaching materials on the fly for whatever topics might be needed.

My hope is that I can refine and develop as a teaching resource producer, educator and prompt engineer during the next 3 months or so.

Today I will start with working on getting a simple multiple choice worksheet out of ChatGPT that could be copy and pasted along with answers. I will record my inputs and outputs to keep track of how I am developing and what outputs come and how they improve. In this case, I will aim to make a simple worksheet that aims at NGSS MS-PS4-2 which focuses on waves.

Prompt 1 - ChatGPT - Input - You are a science teacher with 15 years experience. You are aiming to make a clear and effective worksheet that provides both questions and answers that can test the knowledge on the below topic for grade 7 students (13 years approximate age). I would like the test to be provided both in an initial version with questions and solutions and then again with a version with no answers provided (for the same output). The topic to cover is about questions on describing that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

Output: Worksheet: Understanding Waves – Reflection, Absorption, and Transmission

Grade 7 Science

Version 1: Questions with Answers

Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens when a wave hits a smooth, shiny surface like a mirror?a) It is absorbed.b) It is transmitted through the mirror.c) It is reflected.Answer: c) It is reflected.

2. Which of the following materials would most likely transmit light waves?a) Woodb) Glassc) MetalAnswer: b) Glass

3. When a wave encounters a material that it cannot pass through and is not reflected, what happens?a) It bends around the material.b) It is absorbed.c) It increases in speed.Answer: b) It is absorbed.

Section 2: Short Answer Questions

4. Describe what happens to light when it passes through a transparent material like clear plastic.Answer: The light is transmitted through the material, meaning it passes through without being absorbed or reflected.

5. What is the difference between how sound waves and light waves travel through materials?Answer: Sound waves require a medium (like air, water, or solid materials) to travel, whereas light waves can travel through a vacuum as well as through materials.

Section 3: True or False

6. Light waves can be both absorbed and transmitted by the same material.Answer: True

7. Mechanical waves like sound can reflect off a surface, just like light waves can.Answer: True

Section 4: Drawing and Explanation

8. Draw a diagram showing a light wave hitting a mirror and label the incident ray, reflected ray, and angle of reflection. Explain the diagram.

   
   

   Answer: [The diagram would show a light wave approaching the mirror, labeled as the incident ray, and a wave bouncing off at the same angle, labeled as the reflected ray. The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.]

Version 2: Questions Only

Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens when a wave hits a smooth, shiny surface like a mirror?a) It is absorbed.b) It is transmitted through the mirror.c) It is reflected.

2. Which of the following materials would most likely transmit light waves?a) Woodb) Glassc) Metal

3. When a wave encounters a material that it cannot pass through and is not reflected, what happens?a) It bends around the material.b) It is absorbed.c) It increases in speed.

Section 2: Short Answer Questions

4. Describe what happens to light when it passes through a transparent material like clear plastic.

5. What is the difference between how sound waves and light waves travel through materials?

Section 3: True or False

6. Light waves can be both absorbed and transmitted by the same material.

7. Mechanical waves like sound can reflect off a surface, just like light waves can.

Section 4: Drawing and Explanation

8. Draw a diagram showing a light wave hitting a mirror and label the incident ray, reflected ray, and angle of reflection. Explain the diagram.

Let me know if you'd like to tweak any part of this worksheet!

Prompt 2 - ChatGPT - Input with my Improvements highlighted in bold - You are a science teacher with 15 years experience. You are aiming to make a clear and effective worksheet that provides both questions and answers that can test the knowledge on the below topic for grade 7 students (13 years approximate age). I would like the test to be provided both in an initial version with questions and solutions and then again with a version with no answers provided (for the same output). When you provide solutions, please include a brief explanation that explains in short form what the theory is behind the science of that question and answer. The topic to cover is about questions on describing that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. For each question please include 4 options for the answer where this is possible and physically realistic. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

Output: Worksheet: Waves and Their Interactions – Reflection, Absorption, and Transmission

Grade 7 Science

Version 1: Questions with Answers

Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens when light waves hit a smooth, shiny surface like a mirror?a) They are absorbed.b) They are transmitted.c) They are scattered.d) They are reflected.Answer: d) They are reflected.Explanation: Reflection occurs when waves bounce off a surface. Mirrors have smooth surfaces that allow light waves to reflect at predictable angles.

2. Which of the following materials would most likely transmit light waves?a) Woodb) Metalc) Glassd) BrickAnswer: c) Glass.Explanation: Transparent materials like glass allow light waves to pass through, while opaque materials like wood, metal, and brick block or absorb light.

3. What happens to sound waves when they strike a thick curtain?a) They are reflected.b) They are transmitted.c) They are absorbed.d) They are amplified.Answer: c) They are absorbed.Explanation: Absorption occurs when a material converts wave energy into heat. Soft materials like curtains absorb sound waves effectively, reducing echoes.

4. When light passes from air into water, which of the following occurs?a) It speeds up.b) It bends.c) It reflects fully.d) It gets absorbed completely.Answer: b) It bends.Explanation: This phenomenon is called refraction, where light changes direction because it travels at different speeds in different materials.

Section 2: Short Answer Questions

5. Describe what happens when light hits a transparent material, like clear plastic.Answer: The light is transmitted through the material. Transparent materials allow light to pass without significant scattering or absorption.

6. What happens to sound waves when they hit a hard, smooth wall?Answer: Sound waves reflect off the surface. This is why echoes are often heard in spaces with hard surfaces, as the waves bounce back into the environment.

Section 3: True or False

7. Light waves can be both absorbed and transmitted by the same material.Answer: TrueExplanation: Some materials, like tinted glass, allow partial transmission of light while absorbing certain wavelengths (colors).

8. Mechanical waves like sound cannot travel through a vacuum.Answer: TrueExplanation: Mechanical waves require a medium like air, water, or solid material to propagate, unlike light waves, which can travel through a vacuum.

Section 4: Diagram-Based Question

9. Draw and label a diagram showing what happens to a light wave when it hits a mirror. Include the incident ray, reflected ray, and angles of incidence and reflection.

   
   

   Answer: The diagram should show a light ray approaching a mirror (incident ray) and bouncing off (reflected ray). The angle of incidence (between the incident ray and the normal line) equals the angle of reflection (between the reflected ray and the normal line).

   
   

   Explanation: This demonstrates the law of reflection, which states that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

Version 2: Questions Only

Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens when light waves hit a smooth, shiny surface like a mirror?a) They are absorbed.b) They are transmitted.c) They are scattered.d) They are reflected.

2. Which of the following materials would most likely transmit light waves?a) Woodb) Metalc) Glassd) Brick

3. What happens to sound waves when they strike a thick curtain?a) They are reflected.b) They are transmitted.c) They are absorbed.d) They are amplified.

4. When light passes from air into water, which of the following occurs?a) It speeds up.b) It bends.c) It reflects fully.d) It gets absorbed completely.

Section 2: Short Answer Questions

5. Describe what happens when light hits a transparent material, like clear plastic.

6. What happens to sound waves when they hit a hard, smooth wall?

Section 3: True or False

7. Light waves can be both absorbed and transmitted by the same material.

8. Mechanical waves like sound cannot travel through a vacuum.

Section 4: Diagram-Based Question

9. Draw and label a diagram showing what happens to a light wave when it hits a mirror. Include the incident ray, reflected ray, and angles of incidence and reflection.

Let me know if you'd like additional questions or adjustments!

Prompt 3 - ChatGPT - Input with my Improvements highlighted in bold - You are a science teacher with 15 years experience. You are aiming to make a clear and effective worksheet that provides both questions and answers that can test the knowledge on the below topic for grade 7 students (13 years approximate age). I would like the test to be provided both in an initial version with questions and solutions and then again with a version with no answers provided (for the same output). When you provide solutions, please include a brief explanation that explains in short form what the theory is behind the science of that question and answer. The topic to cover is about questions on describing that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. For each question please include 4 options for the answer where this is possible and physically realistic. Please make the questions build in increasingly difficulty sequentially and make the last question a challenging or extension question. Make the worksheet 10 questions in total. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

Output: Worksheet: Reflection, Absorption, and Transmission of Waves

Grade 7 Science

Version 1: Questions with Answers

Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to light when it hits a smooth, shiny surface like a mirror?a) It is absorbed.b) It is transmitted.c) It is scattered.d) It is reflected.Answer: d) It is reflected.Explanation: Reflection occurs when waves bounce off a surface at the same angle they hit it. Mirrors reflect light because they have smooth, shiny surfaces.

2. Which of the following materials would most likely absorb sound waves?a) Glassb) Carpetc) Metald) PlasticAnswer: b) Carpet.Explanation: Absorption occurs when wave energy is converted into heat. Soft, porous materials like carpet absorb sound waves effectively.

3. What happens to light waves when they pass through a transparent material like glass?a) They are absorbed.b) They are scattered.c) They are transmitted.d) They are reflected.Answer: c) They are transmitted.Explanation: Transparent materials allow light to pass through without significant absorption or scattering.

4. When sound waves hit a hard, flat surface, what typically happens?a) They are absorbed.b) They are transmitted.c) They are reflected.d) They disappear.Answer: c) They are reflected.Explanation: Hard, flat surfaces reflect sound waves, often causing echoes in spaces with such surfaces.

Section 2: True or False

5. Mechanical waves, like sound, cannot travel through a vacuum.Answer: TrueExplanation: Mechanical waves require a medium like air, water, or solids to propagate. They cannot travel through the vacuum of space, unlike electromagnetic waves.

6. Light waves can be both reflected and transmitted when they hit a material like clear glass.Answer: TrueExplanation: Some materials allow partial reflection and transmission, depending on the surface and angle of the incoming wave.

Section 3: Short Answer Questions

7. Explain why sound waves are muffled when passing through a wall compared to passing through air.Answer: The wall absorbs and transmits some of the sound energy, reducing the intensity of the wave compared to air, which transmits sound with little resistance.

8. What happens to light waves when they enter a prism, and why does this happen?Answer: Light waves bend (refract) and separate into different colors because different wavelengths of light travel at different speeds in the material, causing dispersion.

Section 4: Diagram and Extension Question

9. Draw and label a diagram showing a light wave reflecting off a mirror. Label the incident ray, reflected ray, normal line, angle of incidence, and angle of reflection.Answer: The diagram should show:

   • A light ray approaching the mirror (incident ray).

   • The ray bouncing off the mirror (reflected ray).

   • A normal line perpendicular to the mirror.

   • Equal angles on either side of the normal line, labeled as angle of incidence and angle of reflection.

     
     

     Explanation: This follows the law of reflection: the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

10. Extension Question: A beam of light hits a sheet of frosted glass. Explain what happens to the light in terms of reflection, transmission, and absorption.Answer: The frosted glass causes the light to scatter, transmitting some light while diffusing it in various directions. Some light is also reflected from the surface, and a portion is absorbed into the material.Explanation: Frosted glass is translucent, so it transmits light but diffuses it, creating a scattered effect.

Version 2: Questions Only

Section 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to light when it hits a smooth, shiny surface like a mirror?a) It is absorbed.b) It is transmitted.c) It is scattered.d) It is reflected.

2. Which of the following materials would most likely absorb sound waves?a) Glassb) Carpetc) Metald) Plastic

3. What happens to light waves when they pass through a transparent material like glass?a) They are absorbed.b) They are scattered.c) They are transmitted.d) They are reflected.

4. When sound waves hit a hard, flat surface, what typically happens?a) They are absorbed.b) They are transmitted.c) They are reflected.d) They disappear.

Section 2: True or False

5. Mechanical waves, like sound, cannot travel through a vacuum.

6. Light waves can be both reflected and transmitted when they hit a material like clear glass.

Section 3: Short Answer Questions

7. Explain why sound waves are muffled when passing through a wall compared to passing through air.

8. What happens to light waves when they enter a prism, and why does this happen?

Section 4: Diagram and Extension Question

9. Draw and label a diagram showing a light wave reflecting off a mirror. Label the incident ray, reflected ray, normal line, angle of incidence, and angle of reflection.

10. Extension Question: A beam of light hits a sheet of frosted glass. Explain what happens to the light in terms of reflection, transmission, and absorption.

Let me know if you would like additional examples or modifications!

Thanks for Reading

Cheers and stay curious

Oliver - The Teaching Astrophysicist