Blackboard Optics
reflection - refraction - lenses - prisms
What it shows:
With an assortment of plane and curved mirrors, convex and concave lenses,
parallel-sided block and prisms, the Klinger
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Blackboard Optics Kit© allows one to demonstrate all the classic examples
in geometric optics by actual ray tracing in two dimensions.
How it works:
All components in the kit are magnetically attached to the blackboard.
The light source produces a grazing pencil of light on the surface of the
board which may be refracted through, or reflected from, the various
optical components. Single and multiple-ray sources are available and a
booklet by the manufacturer describes forty-one experiments that can be
performed with the kit. Rather than listing them here, suffice it to say
that the kit is quite versatile and those interested in using it can consult
the booklet for ideas. The following diagram illustrates two possibilities.
Instead of the lecture-hall blackboard, we use a small (112 x 64 cm)
blackboard dedicated to the optics kit, leaving the regular blackboard for
writing. It is on wheels and can be positioned where most convenient.
Also, it has been painted a flat white so that it's actually a white board -
this makes for much more visible light rays.
Setting it up:
The optics kit with all accessories, ancillary power supply, and the white
board are one ensemble. Just wheel it out and plug it in.
Comments:
Very easy to use. Visibility, even in large lecture halls, is good. The white
blackboard makes it even better. The semicircular lens, supplied with the kit,
is better used with the optics disk
Rating ***
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Klinger Educational Products Corp; the basic kit is catalog no. KO4100M