Optics

Lasers were once the stuff of science fiction, but today it is possible to build a laser that, while functioning on a much lesser scale, works exactly like the one NASA used to bounce a beam off...

Green laser pointers have become very popular due to the fact that they are inexpensive and the human eye is much more sensitive to the green laser light than red laser light pointers. The...

Digital clocks often take batteries known as L44 batteries, or LR44 batteries. These small 1.5 volt batteries are commonly used in digital clocks, wristwatches, and LED flashlights. They are...

Describes what to look for when buying your first telescope.

The AixiZ laser is very popular for use in science projects because the laser diode in the housing is not soldered onto the laser mechanism. This makes it easy to remove and replace with a...

The price of a laser pointer is determined by the intensity of the laser light it emits. Inexpensive laser pointers use diodes which are very weak. Replacing this laser diode with the laser diode...

A metal mini-flashlight can be made into a laser flashlight by removing the incandescent bulb and replacing it with a laser diode. This laser diode can be taken out of a broken or unused computer...

Oh! No, the lights have gone out. This looks like a job for a light bulb changer such as yourself. Following the directions in this article shall make you a professional light bulb changer.

Laser sights are often used in movies and TV shows as a dramatic way to show that a person is about to be shot. The real purpose of a laser sight is to aid the person holding the gun in lining up...

Red lasers are used for many things in many places across the world. "Laser" is an acronym that stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Lasers come in many different colors and are used worldwide for many different purposes. Red and green are only two of those colors, and as can be found through further research, "red" and "green"...

A laser pointer projects a laser beam through a lens that can be seen from a great distance. The intensity of the laser is controlled by a potentiometer on a circuit board inside the laser...

A flashlight using an LED projects a beam of light that is very weak and hard to see. Converting a LED flashlight into a laser requires replacing the LED with a laser diode. The laser diode will...

Green laser pointers are inexpensive and readily available in hobby stores and electronics shops. Hacking a green laser pointer is done by destroying the circuit board limiter that keeps the laser...

Building a powerful burning laser pointer doesn't require spending a lot of money because the mechanism found in an inexpensive green laser pointer is the same. The difference is that the green...

Spy cameras are used by corporations and individuals to invade our privacy every day. We don't see them because they are so small, and they're hard to find even if you know that one is there. The...

As our world gets more and more populated, our energy demands are getting higher and higher. Because of this, using low-energy solutions going forward will become more and more important....

A laser pointer uses a small lens to focus the laser light as it exits the barrel of the pointer. A dirty or cracked lens inhibits the laser light and renders the laser pointer useless. Replacing...

I would say the green laser pointer is most wonderful gadget i have seen ever before. From the very beginning of development of laser technology until today, the green laser pointer has become the...

Typically, a laser beam will only go in a completely straight path. While this is useful for most cases, there may come a time when you need to bend the laser so that it reaches another area that...

Man has been in search of water on the moon since the discovery of telescope. Even during the first landing of the moon scientists were desperately looking for a life sign on the moon--at least...

A digital scale is a great way to get an accurate measurement of an item's weight. Most digital scales give results in two decimal places, making it automatically more accurate than a standard...

Night vision goggles were invented for use by the military. Over the years, they have become popular among law enforcement agencies and hunters. The technology that makes night vision possible is...

Night vision goggles were invented for use by the military. Over the years, they have become popular among law enforcement agencies and hunters. The technology that makes night vision possible is...

A micrometer is a device most often used by engineers to precisely measure machines and other industrial instruments. Although the device originated as an analog system where you read the markings...

Night vision goggles were invented for use by the military. Over the years, they have become popular among law enforcement agencies and hunters. The technology that makes night vision possible is...

For years, the police force have used a radar system to help detect how fast a car was moving. However, this wasn't always as accurate as one would desire, with nearby cars and weather conditions...

Night vision goggles were invented for use by the military. Over the years, they have become popular among law enforcement agencies and hunters. The technology that makes the night vision possible...

Night vision goggles were invented for use by the military. Over the years, they have become popular among law enforcement agencies and hunters. The technology that makes the night vision possible...

High pressure sodium is a type of lighting. Sodium is placed under extreme pressure, which, when mixed with other elements, causes light. High pressure sodium lamps contain sodium, mercury and...

Motion detector security lights can be used in a variety of ways, including in garages or basements for automatic lighting, outside for security lighting to help deter burglars or even for scaring...

Polarizing filters block or reduce light reflected at certain angles from smooth, non-metallic surfaces such as glass or water.

Smoke alarms in homes can go off whenever there's smoke present. If a person smokes cigarettes, burns food or lights incense, a smoke alarm might go off. A heat detector, on the other hand, is...

Sony makes a variety of different camcorders that can be used for everything from shooting short videos for the Web to shooting full-length films. If you have a Macintosh computer you can transfer...

Microscopes are imaging aids that allow us to see detailed pictures of objects too small to be seen with the naked eye. These scientific instruments come in different power magnifications. Without...

Neodymium YAG is a type of crystal used as the primary lasing medium for certain high-power lasers. A lasing medium is the material through which a normal beam of light passes; as the beam exits...

Infrared is light that has a wavelength longer than visible red light. The ranges of infrared include near infrared, mid infrared and far infrared, spanning wavelengths from about 710 nanometers...

A light curtain is an array of photoelectric light that releases and receives modulated light beams used to detect the presence of a vehicle.

There are many different types of light bulbs available, so many that it can be confusing to choose the right light bulb for the job. However, the kind of bulb that is used can make a noticeable...

Valve trains are devices that are used to control the flow of air or liquid in and out of a closed system. Pressure regulators are a self-controlling form of valve train that control the flow of...

Fluorescent light bulbs are becoming more popular because they use less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs. However, the negative effects of fluorescent bulbs must be understood...

Goniometer is an instrument that measures angles and allows for objects to be rotated to a particular angular position. In 1669, Niels Stensen identified a very important characteristic of...

The Olympus CKX line of inverted microscopes includes the CXK31 and CKX41 models. The CKX41 microscope is a specialized scientific microscope for checking cell viability in Petri dishes, culture...

8mm projectors have not been made for many years, and so those still in use have suffered from neglect and lack of care. This can make them work erratically when turned on and can damage the film...

As the world becomes increasingly concerned about energy resources, new and more energy-efficient technology is being developed and enhanced. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are an example. Lowering...

First, the laser diode is constructed. This is the portion which will actually radiate light once activated. A rectangular length of clean, inert plastic is prepared. Atop it is laid a series of...

The letters LED stand for Light Emitting Diode. The important thing to remember about LEDs is that they produce light when a current flows through them in only one direction. They do not work the...

Generated from the constructive interference of scattered light, holograms are three-dimensional representations of physical objects. To holographically capture an object, shine a primary light...

A theodolite is a tool for measuring vertical and horizontal angles. It is used in triangulation networks. It looks like a small telescope and is used everywhere from construction sites to highway...

LED is an acronym for light emitting diode. LED lights are used in many modern-day electronics, from flashlights to computers and many other items. These lights have become less expensive to...