Blackboard optics: Light sources with plane and curved mirrors.

Blackboard optics: Light sources with mirrors (and prisms and lenses). The Blackboard Optics Kit contains plane, concave and convex mirrors, as well as a semicircular disk, converging and diverging lenses, and Lucite prisms. Two light sources are included. Each light source emits a collimated ray of white light that reflects from (or passes through) the optical components, as well as grazing the chalkboard so that the class can see. The lights have magnetic bases which stick to the steel-backed chalkboards. The mirrors (and prisms, etc.) are held against the blackboards by a strip of Plexiglas with magnets at both ends. Light sources can be arranged to show the law of reflection with a plane mirror, the focusing of a converging mirror, or the virtual focus of a diverging mirror. The other components of the Kit can be used to demonstrate refraction, internal reflection, critical angle, etc.