What Happens to Lasers Underwater? - Smarter Every Day 219

The aspen comment made me laugh so hard! Thanks so much for that reference

Ty Elder

Awesome work Destin, best of luck from India.

Saurabh Banerjee

Thanks.

LewdShift Team

Thanks to your friend for the assist on this video. The principles demonstrated in this are seen on the micro and macro scale, no? From observing galaxies and determining the composition of atmospheres on distant worlds to various medical applications and procedures. There may be other applications like low-cost lighting in remote areas.

Eric Kennedy

Watching this Smarter Every Day video left me in a rather reflective mood.

Daniel Turner

And here lets shine a laser through the kitchen sink I brought with me on this Kayak. Sure you didn't take your tardis instead?

Your idea of using acrylic to see underwater reminded me of this neat mineral that I've seen before: Ulexite. It has a fiberous structure, giving it the properties of many optic fibers stuck together. Light entering one side is totally internally reflected along the fibers and comes out the other side. This has the effect of projecting the entering image onto the exiting surface. It's hard to describe, but if you look up "ulexite TV rock" you will see what I'm talking about. (Gypsum can also produce this effect).

Jayden Newstead

People steal ideas all the time and claim it as their own. I can't stand it when that happens. Sounds like a cool cane!

Smarter Every Day

I was wondering how to do this. Flame polishing sounds interesting!

Smarter Every Day

Awesome video 👍. But I had a thought, so if you take the square of acrylic, sand the edges with ultra fine sandpaper, then flame polish them, then the beam wouldn't diffuse so much as is reflected, so you could get some really cool effects going, and get closer to total internal reflection. Best way to flame polish is with a jewlers torch, of which I happen to have an extra one of, it uses standard map-gas and oxygen tanks you can pick up anywhere, I'll gladly send it to you if you want.

Great. Now I have to go buy a laser and some acrylic rods to enhance my yaking pleasure. :-) Cool video! I had a friend with MS that used LED's embedded in a length of square acrylic to make a lighted walking cane. That was about 25 years ago. He contacted one of those Market Your Invention companies and eventually gave up after getting ripped off.

KC