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Kaleidoscope Mechanics & Design

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument that uses two or more mirrors inclined at an angle to produce symmetrical patterns. When an object is placed at one end, its reflection is multiplied into a circular mosaic when viewed through the other end. Rotating the end containing loose materials causes the viewed pattern to change continuously. The basic principle is multiple reflection - an original view is multiplied by the angled mirrors. Proper angles between the mirrors and positioning of the object and eye produce perfectly beautiful symmetrical images.

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196 views2 pages

Kaleidoscope Mechanics & Design

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument that uses two or more mirrors inclined at an angle to produce symmetrical patterns. When an object is placed at one end, its reflection is multiplied into a circular mosaic when viewed through the other end. Rotating the end containing loose materials causes the viewed pattern to change continuously. The basic principle is multiple reflection - an original view is multiplied by the angled mirrors. Proper angles between the mirrors and positioning of the object and eye produce perfectly beautiful symmetrical images.

Uploaded by

Nur Hidayah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces inclined to each other in an

angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of the mirrors are seen as a regular symmetrical
pattern when viewed from usually enclosed in a tube, often containing on one end a cell the other end,
due to repeated reflection. The reflectors (or mirrors) are with loose, colored pieces of glass or other
transparent (and/or opaque) materials to be reflected into the viewed pattern. Rotation of the cell
causes motion of the materials, resulting in an ever-changing viewed pattern.

Principles[edit]

The basic configuration of reflecting surfaces in the kaleidoscope, as illustrated in the 1817 patent. Fig. 2
and Fig. 3 show alternative shapes of the reflectors.

A kaleidoscope operates on the principle of multiple reflection, where two or more reflectors are placed
at an angle to one another. When the eye is placed at one end of the reflectors, the original view from
the aperture on the other side is multiplied into a symmetrical mosaic pattern. A two-mirror
kaleidoscope yields a circular pattern isolated against a solid black background, while the three-mirror
equilateral triangle type yields an infinite pattern that fills the entire visual field.

Inventor David Brewster described three conditions for the kaleidoscope to produce "perfectly beautiful
and symmetrical forms":[6]

The angle between reflectors should be an even or odd aliquot part of 360° for the reflection of regular
objects situated in the middle of the aperture. For irregular objects situated at any position the angle
should be an even aliquot part of 360° (with two mirrors the viewed circular image is built from as many
sectors as the number of times that the angle of the reflectors is contained in 360°[7]).

The reflected object should be in contact with the ends of the reflectors (ABC in Fig. 1. of the patent
illustration) .

The eye should be as near as possible to the angular point (D in Fig. 1. of the patent illustration) of the
ends of the reflector opposite the reflected object.

A proper kaleidoscope image can be achieved with a convex lens of such a focal length that the images
of all surrounding objects were distinctly formed at the end of the reflectors and thus introduced into
the reflected pattern.[7]

An "object-box" (or cell) on the ends of the reflectors can hold selected objects to be viewed in the
reflected pattern. Colorful transparent shapes (for instance pieces of glass or colored fluids moving in
transparent containers) to create beautiful patterns. Objects smaller than the aperture create a spotted
appearance of the pattern.[6] Larger opaque objects and darker colors don't transmit much light and are
usually avoided. If objects, fragments and/or liquids are loosely placed inside the cell and tumble when
the cell is rotated, motion and change of colors and shapes can be introduced into the viewed pattern.
History

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