These are the four color filters found in your Optics Discovery Kit. Which one transmits the most light? Which the least?

Investigate color filters further at the

Activities

There are several different holograms scattered throughout the Kits. The hologram on the left is depicting a model of a complex molecule. On the right is a hologram of a silver dollar.

Find out how a hologram works at the

Readings

Optical fibers are being used extensively in the telecommunications world; in fact, most of our phone lines have been replaced by optical fibers. Included in the Kit is a small section of fiber. Look through one end of the fiber while you shine a light into the other end.

Try out your optical fiber at

Optics Kit Experiments

Find out more about the diffraction grating and what it can be used for in the

Activities

Most light is polarized in some direction. Polarizers transmit only that light which is oriented in a certain way. As you can see above, if you turn polarizers 90° to each other, they will transmit little or no light.

Test out your polarizers at the

Activities

We use mirrors so often that we usually take them for granted. The mirror in the Optics Discovery Kit is made of a special material called mylar which has been aluminized, much like regular glass mirrors. This mirror, however, can be bent into both a convex and a concave shape.

Learn more about mirrors at the

Activities