How to make something invisible | Do Try This At Home | At-Bristol Science Centre

Invisibility cloaks might sound like science fiction, but Ross of the Live Science Team shows you how a trick of light can make things disappear in this great experiment to try at home!

This video was presented by: Ross Exton, Live Science Video Producer
Produced by: Ross Exton & Seamus Foley, Big Screen Produce

 

Schlieren Optics

Demonstration of an optical technique that allows us to see small changes in the index of refraction in air. A point source of light is reflected from a concave mirror and focused onto the edge of a razor blade, which is mounted in front of the camera. Light refracted near the mirror and intercepted by the blade gives the illusion of a shadow.

Seen here are the heated gases from a candle flame and a hair dryer, helium gas, and sulfur hexafluoride gas. 

More information on our setup.

 Note that this version of the setup uses a white LED flashlight instead of an automotive light bulb.

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! PHYSICS 84. Reflection and Refraction of Sound

Acoustics of reflection, and explanation and applications of refraction.

 

MIT 8.02 Electricity and Magnetism Lecture 29

Snell's Law, refraction, total feflection, dispersion, prisms, Huygens's Principle, the illusion of color, the weird Benham top, Land's famous demo.

 

MIT 8.02 Electricity and Magnetism Lecture 28

Index of Refraction, Poynting Vector, Oscillating Charges, Radiation Pressure, Comet Tails, Polarization (Linear, Elliptical, and Circular).

 

Why is light slower in glass? - Sixty Symbols

Professor Merrifield largely "uncut" discussing refraction.

 

Total internal reflection breakdown

This experiments show total internal reflection at the boundary between wax and air. When we place a drop of water at the surface the conditions changes and total internal reflection disappears.

 

Rainbows and Double Rainbows - Sixty Symbols

The physics of rainbows with Professor Mike Merrifield.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

 

Double Vision - Sixty Symbols

A huge crystal of calcite is used to demonstrate birefringence, a side-effect of light's refraction through certain materials.

Other Sixty Symbols videos


 

Science off the Sphere: Astro Puffs

In his off duty time, NASA Astronaut Don Pettit explores the physics of water in a weightless environment. Published as a collaboration between NASA and the American Physical Society.

This time:  waves and refraction with a big sphere of water.

Other Science off the Sphere videos

Mirages - Sixty Symbols

What causes mirages?

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Using Refraction to Make Things Invisible

Movement of light through different media with the same indices of refraction.

Other videos by St-Mary's High School

Total Internal Reflection

Professor Bowley demonstrates a few tricks involving waves and prisms, with visible light and microwaves.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

All about mirages

Source: The Happy Scentist

Other videos by Robert Krampf

Fiber optic cables: How they work

Bill Hammack uses a bucket of propylene glycol to show how a fiber optic cable works and how engineers send signal across oceans.

Other "Engineer Guy" videos

Refraction and reflection of light

When a ray of light reach the boundary between two different substances, some light is reflected, and some light is refracted. The semi-cylindrical piece of glass has a higher index of refraction than air.

Other animations by Yves Pelletier

Refraction - oil, glass, water

Broken rod illusion, and total internal reflection.

Disappearing coin (total internal reflection)