Optics
Geometrical Optics
Speed of Light
Reflection from Flat Surfaces
6A01.05 Speed of a Pulse in a Coaxial Cable
To measure the speed of an electromagnetic wave pulse in a coaxial cable.
6A10.10 Reflection from a Flat Mirror
To show that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection for a flat mirror.
6A10.23 Effects of Diffuse Reflection
To show the combined effects of refraction and diffuse reflection.
Reflection from Curved Surfaces
6A10.60 Location of Image in a Plane Mirror
To show the location and orientation of the image of an object in a plane mirror.
6A20.10 Reflection from a Curved Mirror
To show that a curved mirror can cause light rays to converge or diverge.
6A20.11 Image Formation in a Concave and Convex Mirror
To compare the images produced by concave and convex mirrors.
To demonstrate an optical illusion with the real image of a concave mirror.
Refractive Index
Refraction at Flat Surfaces
Total Internal Reflection
To show a pair of concave mirrors can be used to produce an image which appears to levitate.
To demonstrate the index of refraction of air depends on its temperature.
To show refraction.
6A44.10 Total Internal Reflection
To show total internal reflection and the critical angle.
To show refraction, reflection, and total internal reflection.
To demonstrate the transmission of laser light achieved by a fiber optic cable.
To show how total internal reflection allows a fiber optic cable to transport light.
To demonstrate the total internal reflection of a laser beam in a stream of water.
Thin Lens
Optical Instruments
To demonstrate concave and convex lenses.
To show the formation of a real image from a convex lens.
To show how a microscope magnifies an image.
To demonstrate a refracting telescope.
Photometry
Luminosity
Blackbodies
To show that light intensity decreases with the square of distance.
To demonstrate the peak shift of the spectrum of light emitted by a blackbody as the power to the blackbody is increased.
6B40.11 Light bulb on a Variac
To demonstrate the change in the color of the light emitted by a filament as its temperature increases.
6B40.12 Blackbody Spectrum with Spectrometer
To show a blackbody emission spectrum with a spectrometer.
To show the radiation emitted by a black body depends only on its temperature.
Diffraction
Diffraction Through One Slit
Diffraction Around Objects
6C10.10 Single Slit Diffraction
To show single slit diffraction.
6C10.61 Diffraction Limited Resolution
To show the limit of resolution due to diffraction.
To demonstrate diffraction of light by a small sphere.
Interference
Interference from Two Sources
Gratings
Thin Films
To demonstrate single slit diffraction and multiple slit interference.
To show the change in the interference pattern as the number of slits increases.
6D30.22 Soap Film Interference
To demonstration interference by a thin soap film.
Interferometers
6D40.10 Michelson-Morley Experiment
To show there is no ether permeating space which transports light.
Color
Synthesis and Analysis of Color
Dispersion
To show the result of mixing different combinations of red, blue and green light.
6F10.30 Recombining the Spectrum
To show a prism can be used to separate or to recombine the component wavelengths of white light.
6F10.40 Absorption and Transmission of Light
To show absorption and transmission of light.
6F30.10 Projected Spectrum of White Light Dispersion
To show that white light is dispersed by a prism.
Scattering
To show the wavelength dependence of Rayleigh scattering.
Polarization
Dichroic Polarization
Polarization By Reflection
To demonstrate the polarization of light.
To demonstrate the effect of inserting a third polarizer between two crossed polarizers.
To show that a light ray reflected off the surface of water is maximally polarized at the Brewster angle.
The Eye
The Eye
To demonstrate the mechanism the human eye uses to focus incoming light onto the retina as well as the function of corrective lenses.