Toy box optics: bringing optical technologies home and to schools

Mable Fok; Steven Binder

doi:10.1117/12.2672816

28 June 2023 Toy box optics: bringing optical technologies home and to schools

Mable Fok, Steven Binder

Proceedings Volume 12723, Seventeenth Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics: ETOP 2023; 1272328 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2672816
Event: Seventeenth Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics: ETOP 2023, 2023, Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States

Abstract

Optical technologies can be found in many aspects of our daily lives. We have developed three experiments using items that can be found in a toy box or around the house to demonstrate and explain optical concepts. Videos of the experiments, their principle, and applications are available on our YouTube channel. The first experiment uses moldable putty to make a shapeable lens and light guide to observe refraction and total internal reflection respectively. The putty’s characteristics allows for hand molding into different shapes to observe how light propagation is changed within the putty in real time. The second experiment is to learn about color absorption and reflection. The color pattern of clothing would change depending on the color of light that is used to illuminate it. The experiment illustrates how optical communication can use different colors to support multiple users. The third experiment uses a bubble to illustrate light interference, the principle behind eyeglasses coating. Different colors are seen at different locations on the bubble due to light interference. The above experiments can be carried out at home or at school through our outreach program. During our school outreach, we relate the above hands-on experiments with two demonstrations. The first demonstration is a laser-transmitted audio system that explains how electrical signals can be transmitted using optical fibers. While the second allows for the observation of how laser light is guided within an optical fiber. The toy-based experiments are a fun approach to introduce complex concepts to students.

Citation Download Citation

Mable Fok and Steven Binder "Toy box optics: bringing optical technologies home and to schools", Proc. SPIE 12723, Seventeenth Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics: ETOP 2023, 1272328 (28 June 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2672816

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KEYWORDS

Optical fibers

Geometrical optics

Color

Bubbles

Video

Total internal reflection

Reflection

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