Optics

As you purchase almost any new laptop these days, you have the choice in between glossy or matte screens. How to choose in between the two?

A rheostat circuit, a type of potentiometer, can be used to regulate the flow of electricity to a receiving device.

A pantograph is a tool that reduces the scale of drawings and enlarges them. This mechanical device copies figures and plans on different scales.

Barcode Scanning systems utilize a series of black, horizontal lines--known as Uniform Product Code (UPC)--and interprets these lines based on their density and spacing. Each line and space and...

A confocal laser scanning microscope uses fluorescence, a pin-point focus, mirrors, a laser, and computer to create clear three-dimensional pictures of a specimen. It allows layers of thick...

Range finders of today have evolved from the old triangulating telemeters of the late 1800s and are extremely accurate in measuring the distance from one object to another. Distance-measuring...

Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are used in electrical and electronic circuits as indicator lights, flashlight bulbs, and other applications where light is needed. Because an LED has lower power...

There are several different types of video glasses in use, ranging from professional versions to entertainment devices used to watch video in privacy. There is also a wide range in the quality of...

Microscopes come with a variety of magnification abilities, allowing the user to peer into miniscule worlds that may be invisible to the naked eye. "Magnification" refers to enlarging the image of...

Building your own LED light bulb is a great way to avoid paying exorbitant prices for LED bulbs, which -- since the technology is still relatively new -- can be very costly. Building your own LED...

For years, the concept of seeing in perfect darkness or heavy fog had been little more than a dream, but then came the advent of forward-looking infrared, also known as FLIR.

The very earliest lasers worked in the microwave, infrared, and red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Helium-neon-based green lasers soon followed. The invention of the laser diode in 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...

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.

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"...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Compound microscopes use two lenses to magnify a specimen, whereas light microscopes use only one lens. Another major difference between compound microscopes and light microscopes is their power...

Light microscopes, also known as optical microscopes, are fundamental magnification devices that have been used by the scientific community for over four centuries. The ultimate limit for a light...

The electron structure of the atom is very complex; discoveries concerning the physical properties of electrons and the chemical reactions that take place between them have led to countless...

Flashlights are designed to be portable sources of light for use both in the home and on the go. The bulbs used in flashlights vary, and there are three primary types of bulbs, including...

Alkaline is the adjectival form of the noun alkali and it refers to elements that have an oxidation number (the charge on the central atom) of +2. Alkali is an ionic, basic salt of an alkaline...

NiMH batteries can be recharged and used multiple times. These batteries are easy to charge at home with an NiMH battery charger. Learning to use the charger is simple and can be done in just a...

Digital watches can help you keep track of time, and additional features commonly found on digital watches, like alarms and chronographs, make digital watches all the more helpful. Learning to...

For years, pundits have used the rise of portable computing to predict the death of the written book. However, the high price of these so-called readers coupled with a lack of compatible reading...

Light radiates from its source randomly and equally in electromagnetic waves. Light polarization most often occurs because of reflection. Polarizing filters are used in photography and science to...

A diamond tester of several years' age is no match for today's variety of diamond simulants and synthetics, especially since those simulants have all the chemical properties of a real diamond. A...