Celtic Mad Scientist

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Our channel demonstrates unusual science experiments and apparatuses not normally built at home.  Hacks, demonstrations, and how-to guides will continue to be added over time.

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Rainbow Art - Thin Film Interference

Create beautiful rainbow films instantly and easily. The glittering spectrum of colors undulates across the page. So pretty, you might even frame it! All because of thin film interference. The rainbow sheets are only about the thickness of light wavelengths - less than a micrometer!

Lenticular Hack

Describes how a lenticular works and how to make a custom lenticular animation or 3D image from a lenticular you have lying around.

Bend Light Around Coin - Arago Spot

Bend laser light around a suspended coin, into the center of its shadow. A cool display of the wave nature of light and an example of diffraction. A red laser or laser of any other color may be used.

After setup, you'll find a spot of light in the center of the coin's shadow.  This has also been referred to as the Poisson spot or Fresnal bright spot (Fresnal came up with the wave theory of light countering Newton's, Poisson pointed out the counintuitive result, and Arago did the experiment).

Laser Interferometer - Homemade for $20

Create a homemade laser interferometer for as little as $20. Great for testing surface stability when creating holograms at home. In 1907, the first optical interferometer proved that the speed of light was constant and you can also take measurements in micrometers with it. A red laser can be used in place of the more expensive green laser shown.

The most expensive piece of a homemade interferometer is usually the beam splitter, but here we use a CD jewel case for the beam splitter to drastically cut the price.  Along with a red laser, you'll find the cost very low.