Carousel of light
Take light for a spin!
Difficulty:
Danger:
Duration:
10 minutes
Safety
- Carefully review the general safety advice on the back of the box cover before starting the experiment.
- Be very careful in a dark room – turn the lights off only when necessary; be sure to prepare everything you’ll need in the darkness in advance; clear the path from the light switch to the table or, even better, ask someone else to turn the lights off.
- Disassemble the setup after the experiment.
Step-by-step instructions
Flip the sheet of phosphorescent paper to shield the glossy side from light.
Putting your UV light on a string will let it swing freely as it draws with light!
The clamp divides the string into two parts that can move independently of each other.
The time it takes for the UV light to swing back and forth will depend on the string length from the UV light to the clamp. Try different lengths and see!
Adjust the length of the string so the UV light is not touching the table.
The glow of the phosphorescent paper shows how the UV light moves. You can observe special figures called Lissajous curves. Adjusting the clamps will create different figures. Which do you find the most interesting?
Disposal
- Dispose of solid waste together with household garbage.
