The camera obscura is a well-known optical device in the form of a closed box with a hole in one of its walls through which light rays pass, forming an inverted image of the external objects on the opposite wall, as can be seen in Fig. 1(a). Despite the simplicity of its basic design, they have been widely used by scientists and artists. In…

We demonstrated that an optimally designed pinhole camera can be used as an astronomical tool to observe the libration and apparent diameter change of the Moon at night. The libration and apparent diameter change of the Moon were observed using a handmade pinhole camera with a diameter of 0.65 mm and a focal length of 400 mm. It was found that the…

We propose a laboratory experiment on the quantitative study of the normal dispersion of light. A triangular isosceles prism made of flint glass TF3 is used as the object of study, and we describe a simple and affordable device for observing and photographing the dispersion spectrum on a smartphone. A possibility of the quantitative investigation…

This paper proposes a simple method to design experiments for drawing the light paths at a lens to find its effective focal length and principal planes. In the designed experiments, long-exposure photography was used to record the light scattered using a moving sheet of paper, thus revealing the light path. According to the proposed experimental…

In this photo essay, I enact how a creative pedagogue engages with artistic practice and contemplative inquiry. As a poet, at home in words, photography represents a creative risk. This vulnerability is felt in the sharing of the work through the lens of (re)search. Hence, I ask: Does it have wings? By delving in expressive forms toward the…

We have added two improvements to a self-luminous LED stroboscope (a flashing point-like projectile developed for introductory mechanics): downsizing by replacing heavy and risky batteries with a compact and safe capacitor of several Farads (a so-called Super-C) and wireless control via ordinary IR (infrared) communications. Consequently, the…

Many of us teach that insects can see "invisible" ultraviolet light, but what demonstrations do we perform to illustrate this? Often UV can be used to cause fluorescence or phosphorescence, which can make its existence more visible. But, is it possible to create photographs or videos that convincingly illustrate the vision of insects? In…

A laboratory experiment that exposes students to fundamental concepts in kinetics and statistical thermodynamics to study systems of great current interest in nanotechnology by employing a foundational technique in physical chemistry is described. A modified commercial flash photolysis spectrometer was used to study photoinduced isomerization…

Huygens' principle in which every point on a propagating wave acts like a point source of radiation is a foundation principle of physics. Normally, Huygens' principle is demonstrated by passing a wave, for example a water or light wave through an aperture comparable in size to the wavelength. In this paper, an experiment is described in which a…

Pinhole camera photography is explored using a set of entomology pins due to their known pin diameters and availability in a variety of sizes. A procedure to prepare removable-lens digital cameras for pinhole photography is described. A video is included showing a set of ten insect pins and how to fit the camera with pinhole apertures. Formulas…

Water can exhibit many different colors due to a variety of physical properties. Here, we focus on some observable colors within very pure freshwater. We only treat the absorption of light due to electronic and ro-vibrational excitations and scattering due to refractive index fluctuations of the water and the respective consequences for the…

Light rays refract when passing through pockets of transparent fluids with different indices of refraction such as ordinary air pockets of varying temperature. This phenomenon makes night stars twinkle, distorts views above hot asphalt roads and hot barbeque grills, and provides an opportunity for visualizing the normally invisible movement of…

Investigation of the kinetics of phosphorescence decay is a suitable learning task in studying the formal kinetics, and also properties of crystal phosphors. Kinetics of phosphorescence decay of crystal phosphors can be experimentally investigated at home as part of distance learning, using a conventional digital photo camera and a luminescent…

In this article we present simple and low-cost experiments about the polarization of light. We use an LCD monitor or an RGB LED light bulb with a Polaroid as a source of polarized radiation, a polarizer sheet as an analyzer, and a smartphone camera to measure light intensities. Thus, using a digital camera to acquire videos students can explore in…

This article describes a preschool art project in which students participated in the month long arts festival in Reno Nevada. Using the engineering design process, students imagined, brainstormed, made lists of materials, tested, designed and modified their design of a illuminated Chinese lantern.