VUB - Magic with light : Base Merlin

‘’Magie avec la lumière - Base Merlin‘’ is an interactive and educational project to explore the fascinating world of light. Dive into magical experiments and tests with holograms, light diffraction, colour mixing (wavelengths) and a laser labyrinth.
> FR-EN-NL / Open to all
> Friday - Booking in advance required / 45 minutes / Max 25 pupils per session - 09:00 (FR), 09:45 (NL/EN), 10:30 (EN), 11:15 (FR), 12:00 (NL), 12:45 (EN), 13:30 (FR), 14:15 (NL), 15:00 (EN)
> Weekend – Running continuously

• Activity 1 – Laser labyrinth
  Can you position and aim the lasers and mirrors to hit objects from a distance? Choose the object you want to hit. You can even play in pairs to see who's faster!
  
  

• Activity 2 – Light trapped in water
  Total internal reflection is an optical phenomenon in which a light beam in water is reflected in the air without leaving the water. A little confused? It's easier to understand if you try it yourself: trap the light in a jet of water!
  
  

• Activity 3 – Reflected reality
  When light passes from water to air, it changes direction, creating a mirror effect. In this visual and interactive experiment, discover the concept of light refraction and the distortion of the images you see.
  
  

• Activity 4 – Lenses, focus and inverted mysteries
  With a convex lens, the image on a smartphone (or other object) is inverted. When the lens is correctly focused, the light rays converge to form an inverted image. A practical approach to discovering the basic principles of lenses and optics!
  
  

• Activity 5 – Light in a new dimension
  This workshop uses a special holographic lens and a smartphone (or other screen) to generate a three-dimensional image. The holographic lens is designed to bend the light waves in a specific way, creating a hologram.
  
  

• Activity 6 – Colourful mysteries: the treasure map
  By using subtractive and additive primary colours, you can hide certain parts of an image under the right lighting conditions. Receive a treasure map that is not fully legible in normal light. Use colour filters (separate filters and glasses) and RGB lamps to decipher the treasure map.