Light & Optics Demos

Click on the following categories to view a list of demos or scroll down to browse.

Geometrical Optics Diffraction Interference Color

Polarization Modern Optics Miscellaneous

Click on the following titles to view a picture and description of each demo.

Geometrical Optics

• Corner Cube Reflector
• Smoke spray (makes laser beams visible from side)
• Depth of Field
• Fiber Optic
• Fiber optic scope (2 actual medical devices on Medical Physics shelf)
• Fiber optic magnifier
• Fresnel Lenses
• Fresnel Lenses on an Overhead Projector
• Kaleidoscope
• Optical Path (large scale optical fiber--shows total internal reflection)
• Pinhole Camera
• Real Images - Floating Pig
• Real Images - Projected Light Bulb with Mirror
• Semicircular Cells
• Smoke Lenses
• Total Internal Reflection Tube
• Lenses (Hartel Disk)
• Blackboard optics set
• Model Eye

Diffraction

• Diffraction Gratings

Interference

• 2D Gratings Slides
• Interference Gratings
• Interference Model
• Michelson Interferometer
• Newton’s Rings
• Newton’s Rings - Monochromatic
• Soap Film Interference
• Two-Slit Interference One Photon at a Time

Color

• Color Disk
• Additive colors with red, green and blue light bulbs & shadow formation (in Box on Optics shelves)
• Color absorption and how it relates to apparent color of objects: red, green laser plus different colored filters (ditto)

Polarization

• Calcite Crystal: Birefringence
• Mica Birefringence
• Using polarizers to see stress in plexiglass, plastic forks, plastic bags, etc.
• Polarization of light passed through Karo syrup sugar solution (rotatory properties of chiral molecules)
• Polarization of Scattered Light
• Wave Plates

Modern Optics

• Laser - Open Demo
• Speed of Light

Miscellaneous

• Ultraviolet light source and UV color changing beads plus UV transparent/opaque plastics
• IR camera for viewing objects in apparent darkness
• Focus IR from a space heater witrh Fresnel lens to form "hot spot" you can feel with a hand
• Plasma ball (shows light as discharge occurs)
• Phosphorescent sheets (reemits light after light is shone on it)

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