L4-31 DISAPPEARANCE OF GLASS IN LIQUID

ID Code: L4-31
Purpose: Demonstrates how index of refraction affects what we see in a fluid bath
Description: Glass seems to disappear when immersed in a liquid with the same index of refraction. The bottles, left to right, contain air, water, and two with microscope immersion oil, a liquid with almost the same index of refraction as glass
Availability: Available

Fun fact: Just like these different fluids have different indices of refraction, and thus one can make the glass disappear, different types of glass also have different indices of refraction. This is one technique used to identify unknown samples of glass - including to identify glass shards in accident investigations!