Kaleidoscope

Yuri Endo 2012

I created a kaleidoscope, in order to experiment with multiple mirror effect, as well as symmetrical oscillation patterns that could be created by it.

A kaleidoscope is a tube-shaped optical instrument with a rotating end piece, which contains loose, colored objects. It was initially invented by Scottish inventor, David Brewster, as a scientific tool for the study of polarized light and later copied as a toy. 

The tube is commonly constructed with three rectangular mirrors, therefore, I constructed a triangular tube with 3 slices of rectangle-shaped cardboard with mirror stickers on, and placed various colorful objects, such as rubber bands, circuit strings, prisms, gummy bears and glitter glues, on one side of the tube. On that note, the above images show the result of what I observed when I looked through to one end of the tube, where the objects were placed.  More precisely, I  saw the light entering the other end of the tube and the objects inside were presented as colorful, geometric patterns due to the reflections in the mirrors. Twisting the end piece made the objects tumbled and resulted in further presenting varieties of color and patterns.

In conclusion, this visual effect resulted in generating the idea of ひかりの標本 (Hikari no hyohon), which is Japanese for “luminous specimen”; sealing light source inside of a prism as if it were a specimen. On that note, my next step is to utilize my initial concept of replacing the physical light with digital media solution to  design a mock-up, which will be constructed with a prism attached to a LCD screen, and the animation is projected on the prisms’ surfaces from behind.

Reference: Recycled Kaleidoscope, Homemade Kaleidoscope Toy 

Revisiting Farbe und Licht

Images by Yuri Endo 2012 
*Farbe und Licht box, the interactive leaning tool for understanding the color and light system. 

I went back to the exhibition to further review the research projects by The Institute of Colour and Light ( ICL). 

Farbe und Licht (Color and Light)

Image by Yuri Endo 2012 
* The award-winning research results were put together as a publication, Farbe und Licht. 

Upon attending a presentation and an exhibition in Seoul, concerning Swiss design research by Prof. Dr. Gerhard M. Buurman of Zurich University of The Arts,  I discovered a series of great reference research projects by The Institute of Colour and Light ( ICL), which had explored the interplay of light, color, materials and movement in the perception of space.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Yuri Endo 2012 

During my weekly meeting with Professor Hall,  I timely captured a rainbow, which was created by a glass partition. 

Diffraction of Light

>>SINGLE and DOUBLE-SLIT EXPERIMENT

Yuri Endo 2012 

While a narrow light beam is aimed at single slit, the light goes through one slit and hits the screen and creates a single light streak, when the light is aimed at two slits, the light goes through two slits and the light on the screen spreads out into many blobs of light (the size of the blobs becomes wider towards the sides.) in other words, two light waves overwraps to create an interference pattern.

Reference: Dr. Quantum -Double Slit Experiment,  Young's Two-slit Experiments 

Reflection of Light

Reflections happen when light hits surface of a medium (incident ray), and bounces back (reflected rays). In other words, reflected waves are neither transmitted nor absorbed but are reflected from the surface.

>>EXPERIMENT ONE

Yuri Endo 2012

When the light hits mirror, the light reflects back in different direction at the same angle as the incident ray. ( The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection) 

The amount of light that is reflected from a surface depends on the nature of the surface and the angle at which the light strikes the surface. 

>>EXPERIMENT TWO

Yuri Endo 2012

Total internal reflection occurs when the light is passing through a medium with higher refractive index to lower refractive index at the angle of incidence greater than the so-called critical angle.

For any angle of incidence larger than the critical angle, Snell's law does not apply for the angle of refraction. In that case, obeying the law of reflection, the light stops crossing the boundary surface and completely reflects back internally.

In this experiment using a semi-circular glass, the light is passing from the glass ( higher refractive index ) to air ( lower refractive index ). When the light is pointing towards the center of the flat face at certain angle ( the angle of incidence above the critical angle), it hits the curved surface but does not  refract at the boundary. This optical phenomenon would not occur when the light is passing from air  ( lower refractive index ) to the glass ( higher refractive index ).

Optical fibers and prismatic binoculars take advantages of this physical property. This is also what makes diamonds sparkle brighter than the rest ( Diamonds have unusually high reflective index).

Reference: Video: Law of Reflection

Refraction of Light

>>EXPERIMENT ONE

Yuri Endo 2012


When a light wave passes from one medium (material) into another with a different density, more precisely, only when there is a difference in the index of refraction between the two media, the wave changes its direction. This change of direction as the wave enters to the second medium is called refraction. In this case, the light changes its direction as it passes from air into glass then back to the air. 

>>EXPERIMENT TWO

Yuri Endo 2012

>img. 1: A spoon in an empty glass

>img. 2: img. 1 filled with water 

When the glass is filled with water, the spoon appears to be bent through the side of the glass. 

When light passes from a medium of higher density to lower, it bends off the normal (the perpendicular to the surface it strikes) and when it passes from medium of lower density into higher it bends to the normal. In this case, as the light passes from the glass to water, the light slows down and changes its direction and as the light leaves the glass, it picks up its speed again. As a result,  the spoon look as though it is bent since light travels slower through water than through air. 

>>EXPERIMENT THREE 
Yuri Endo 2012

>img. 1: An empty bowl with a coin

>img. 2: img. 1 filled with water
>img. 3: img. 1 filled with corn oil

When the bowl is empty the edge of the bowl prevent us from seeing the coin inside fully. Whereas, when the bowl is filled with water, the light bends over the edge of the bowl and the part of the coin becomes more visible.

The coin appears to be more visible in the oil as compared the water because oil has a higher index of refraction than water or air. In other words, a medium that has higher index of refraction bends light more than another (ex. diamonds).   

This effects of refraction are also responsible for the mirages observed on a hot, sandy desert and the bottom of a pool looking closer to the surface than they actually are.

Reference: Snell's Law , Snell's Law video, Refraction of Light, Physics Aplet: Refraction of Light 

Color of Light

In order to recognize any perceptions of color, light is necessary. A green leaf appears green because the light reflects green light and all other colors are absorbed into this specific leaf.

While, white light from the sun contains all the possible color variations, human eyes are only capable of responding to certain colors and wavelength.  The ability of processing color is owing to our eye's light and color-sensitive receptors, rods and cones, and the color vision may vary between individuals as well as  species.

>>EXPERIMENT ONE

Yuri Endo 2012


When the red light ( from a red dot laser pointer) passes through the red gummy bears, it exits on the other side, yet when the red light is pointed at the green gummy bears, the light does not pass through.

When the white light ( from a LED light) passes through the red gummy bears, it makes them appear red . At this point,  all the colors in the visible light spectrum is absorbed except for the red. The same results can be observed from the green gummy bears, yellow and orange gummy worms. 

>>EXPERIMENT TWO

Yuri Endo 2012

When the narrow beam of white light passes through a glass prism, the white light is spread up into the colors of visible light spectrum which is in the same color and order as does in the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, respectively. In other words, white light is the mixture of the colors that prism separates out.

Each color has a different wave length and bend in different amount. For example, violet has the shortest wavelength and bends the most while red has the longest wavelength and bends the least.

Reference: Newton and the Color Spectrum, Video: Visible Light Spectrum, Newton's Prism Experiment

>>EXPERIMENT THREE

Yuri Endo 2012

>img. 1:  LED lights (with Red, Green and Blue filters) used for the experimentation

>img. 2:  RGB color addition

>img. 3:  Red

>img. 4:  Green 

>img. 5:  Blue 

>img. 6:  Red + Green = Yellow

>img. 7:  Red + Blue = Magenta  

>img. 8:  Green + Blue = Cyan

>img. 9:  Red + Green + Blue = White
>img. 10: img. 9 with an object 

Filament of the back of the light emits all the colors in the spectrum (white light).  As also seen in the previous Gummy Bear experiments, when the red filter is placed in front, only red passes through the filer absorbing the other colors and appears to give out red light. Green and blue filters react in the same exact manner. 

Red, green and blue are primary colors of light. Overwrapping the three makes white light. On the other hand, combining a pair of primary colors gives the secondary colors; yellow, magenta and cyan. For example, adding red and green makes yellow, red and blue makes magenta and green and blue makes cyan.  

As seen in the img. 10, when the object is placed in front of white light, it casts yellow, magenta and cyan shadows.  

Reference: Video: Color Addition 

Light and Optics Experiments

In order to review the principle of light, I have decided to explore the world of science and physics more by trying out various basic light and optics experiments. Through this experimentation, I'm hoping to achieve a rational understanding of history, nature and properties of light which would support me acquiring my pilot project ideas. On that note, I plan to set out the first section of STAGE ONE as classified in following categories; 

> Color
> Refraction
> Reflection
> Diffraction

Science of Light: The Beginning

Ibn Alhazen and pinhole camera >>cdn.greenprophet.com

At the present time, we are fully aware that light can be produced, break up into different wavelength and even carry information, nevertheless, at some point in history people thought that some inner light comes out from our eyes and illuminates things in view (as car head lights do) until a Muslim scientist and polymath, Ibn Alhazen, frequently reffered to as al-Haytham and sometimes as al-Basri, presented his theory of vision (1011-); ray of light are emitted from objects rather than from the eyes, in other words, when we look at something bright, it hurts eyes therefore the light must be entering the eyes but not leaving the eyes.

Consequently, we have became aware that the light is a form of energy. Firstly, the light of the sun is produced when two atoms fuse and release energy.  Secondly, this energy (the natural light) comes from the sun bounces off the objects and enter our eyes. (In fact we are not actually seeing the objects but the reflections of light off the surfaces of the objects.) In that sense, only things that give off or reflect light are visible to our eyes.