On the 13th December, I attended a one day course on physics and spectroscopy. I got on the train in Wicklow at around 7 in the morning and I arrived in DCU at around 10 after taking different buses and trains. The group of 17 met in the engineering building at 10 and from there we were brought into the physics lab.
First, we were given a brief introduction into what spectroscopy is. We were then broken up into 3 different groups for the day. This was followed by the task of building a simplified version of a spectrometer and analysing the different spectral waves given off by different elements such as Nitrogen or Hydrogen.
After lunch we came back to build small makeshift telescopes to better understand how different lense types interact with each-other. After this we were brought into a blacked out room to study lasers, (very expensive lasers).
We were shown how different coloured lasers of different wavelengths reacted differently when bounced off of mirrors, focused through lenses, and broken up by small grates that had 500 slits per 1mm to change the shape of the light beams.
At the end of the day I ran as fast as I could to the nearest bus stop to catch a train home. Overall it was a really great experience and I learned a lot about the physics behind light.
First, we were given a brief introduction into what spectroscopy is. We were then broken up into 3 different groups for the day. This was followed by the task of building a simplified version of a spectrometer and analysing the different spectral waves given off by different elements such as Nitrogen or Hydrogen.
After lunch we came back to build small makeshift telescopes to better understand how different lense types interact with each-other. After this we were brought into a blacked out room to study lasers, (very expensive lasers).
We were shown how different coloured lasers of different wavelengths reacted differently when bounced off of mirrors, focused through lenses, and broken up by small grates that had 500 slits per 1mm to change the shape of the light beams.
At the end of the day I ran as fast as I could to the nearest bus stop to catch a train home. Overall it was a really great experience and I learned a lot about the physics behind light.