The complete solution for determining the speed of light using a laser light and a high speed rotating mirror.
- 1x Complete Speed of Light Apparatus
- 1x Speed of Light Experiment Manual
Product Summary
The Speed of Light Experiment uses laser light and a high speed rotating mirror to determine this fundamental constant using the Foucault method.
Laser light passes through a series of lenses to produce an image of the light source at a measured position. The light is then directed to a rotating mirror, which reflects the light to a fixed mirror at a known distance from the rotating mirror. The laser light is reflected back through its original path and a new image is formed at a slightly different position. The difference between final/initial positions, angular velocity of the rotating mirror, and distance traveled by the light are then used to calculate the speed of light in air.
PASCO Advantage: PASCO’s Speed of Light Experiment allows students to experimentally measure the speed of light within 5% of the accepted value. In addition, the experiment can be performed on a desktop or in a hallway.
Concepts
- Determine the Speed of Light in Air
- Recreate Foucault’s Historical Experiment
What's Included
- 1x Complete Speed of Light Apparatus (OS-9261B)
- 1x Speed of Light Experiment Manual
Experiments
Speed of Light Experiment | English | 1.13 MB |
Experiment Library
Perform the following experiments and more with the Speed of Light Experiment.
Visit PASCO's Experiment Library to view more activities.
Speed of Light
This experiment uses the Foucault Method to determine the speed of light. Laser light passes through a series of lenses to produce an image of the light source at a measured position. The light is then directed to a rotating mirror,...
Support Documents
Manuals | ||
---|---|---|
Complete Speed of Light Apparatus Manual | English - 789.32 KB | |
Speed of Light Apparatus Manual | English - 231.40 KB |