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PSCI-COM  January 2011

PSCI-COM January 2011

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Subject:

Re: Refractive Index Magic

From:

Andrew Robinson <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

psci-com: on public engagement with science

Date:

Fri, 7 Jan 2011 13:01:10 +0000

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (171 lines)

Hello,

There was a similar demo in the latest RI Christmas lectures -- a beaker
containing apparently just liquid brought on for a member of the
audience to dip his hand in. To his surprise, and the rest of the
audience, he pulled out multiple frog spawn sized spheres -- invisible
due to matched density. These were then dropped into another tank of
liquid and disappeared again.

Seemed to get a good audience reaction.

On Fri, 2011-01-07 at 09:24 +0000, Chris Robbins wrote:
> Dear Alessio,
> 
> This is a nice demonstration and is part of the physical basis behind the H.G Wells story “The 
> Invisible Man” – see chapter 19:
> 
> “And if you put a sheet of common white glass in water, still more if you put it in some denser 
> liquid than water, it would vanish almost altogether, because light passing from water to glass is 
> only slightly refracted or reflected or indeed affected in any way.”
> 
> Of course by density he means optical density rather than mass density. This might be a good 
> starting point for a discussion on invisibility and how it might be possible scientifically. If you 
> were invisible in air how visible would you be in water? What about in different coloured light? What 
> would you need to do to make a non-transparent object invisible? Meta materials – here we come!
> 
> Something else to consider is that because you can more easily see the test tube in some situations 
> then this means that light is being reflected/refracted and lost from the "direct line of sight". 
> This could introduce the idea of an optical coating on a lens to improve performance (your camera 
> lens will probably have a slight purple colour to it). I believe moths' eyes have antireflective 
> microstructures to achieve the same effect, although here it is to stop reflections giving them away 
> to predators.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Chris
> 
> ------------------------------------------
> 
> Dr Chris Robbins
> Why Learn That
> Tel:	01663 749785
> email:		[log in to unmask]
> www.whylearnthat.co.uk
> ------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> 23:04
> Thursday 06 January 2011
> > Hi All,
> > This blog post shows a really cool demonstration on refractive index I have
> > seen today.
> >
> > http://alessiobernardelli.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/refraction-index-magic/
> >
> > <http://alessiobernardelli.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/refraction-index-magic/
> >>Please have a look and let me know what you think.
> > Thanks,
> > Alessio.
> >
> >
> > Alessio Bernardelli
> >
> > IoP Network Coordinator
> > 109 Maes Y Coed Rd
> > Cardiff
> > CF14 4HE
> >
> > Tel: 02920315988
> > Mobile: 07527528088
> >
> > Blog: alessiobernardelli.wordpress.com
> > Twitter: twitter.com/aso.ber
> >
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-- 
Dr Andrew Robinson
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
M13 9PL

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