Now you can do a physics project that ISN'T insanely boring!

[Mazer]

a-clicky-click!

It seems like it would be very interesting to build. And what physics does it involve? Well, you got those light wave thingies that we were supposed to learn about... and uh, heat... I guess that was covered in class some time... and much more!

To be fair, somebody did a project about YO-YOs which managed to keep me interested for a record length of time in that class. But c'mon, it's a Solar Death Ray. A real one!

I make this post, targeting Massey students in particular (because I know they have to make something), but anybody else that will be doing a physics project is encouraged (indeed, "peer pressured") to see if this project would be a possibility.

[AsianSensation]

yes, see, the projects this year has to do with the wave nature of light. We get to choose from a bunch of topics like LCD screens, 3D films made with polarized filters and stuff like that. So sadly, no Solar Death Ray.

Btw, how fast does the SDR zaps stuff? I couldn't find that much info on it, and I was just curious, because the pictures of zapped objects were pretty entertaining.

[Mazer]

It's not really a "zap"... this isn't an EM-grade RailGun we're talking about. It just focuses sunlight. Like... have you ever used a magnifying glass to burn ants? It just focuses light to a smaller point and slowly heats the thing up. Alot. Same principle here, I guess.

Anyways, I never really paid attention during the whole "waves" thing (or much of ths rest), but wouldn't this involve the wave nature of light? Waves can be reflected, I know that much... right?

[Pickles]

They made a huge one on Myth Busters to try to sink a ship, but they couldn't.

[rizzix]

maybe they should filter out all wavelengths except one (preferable red so we can see it). and polarize the light, while focusing it at one point and redirecting them parallely in a single direction. woopdidoo. now it is a real death ray!

[Andy]

why would u bother polarizing it? the first polarizing filter will decrease the intensity drastically

[Martin]

I already made like infinity of those at scout camp.

[rizzix]

Andy wrote:

why would u bother polarizing it? the first polarizing filter will decrease the intensity drastically

how else are you going to get it unidirectional

[Andy]

why would that matter? as long as they're parallel to each other, it should be fine

[rizzix]

dude the point is to get them parallel.

[Andy]

but all the rays comming to us from the sun are pretty much parallel to each other...

[Andy]

and plus, by polarizing light, you dont necessarily make them parallel to each other.. you simply make sure the transverse waves travel in the same plane

[md]

Polazing the light will only block out some of the waves, as would filering out specific wave lenghts. The point is to focus as much as possible, cutting out parts simply weakens your death ray... The point is not to get the rays parallel either, it's to focus them onto one point. You put you object at that point and all the light hits it, heating it up... anyway It could easily work, if for instance the myth busters had used a solid mirror instead of lots of small ones it would have nearly doubled the surface area and thus doubled the temperature

[Andy]

yea but inorder to focus them, they have to strike the mirror parallel to the principle axis

[MihaiG]

i did osmething similar ingrade 5 for a project were spposed to make an oven/solar cooker that use light..mine worked i use an old satlaite dish the parabolic ones covered int tin foil and voila