Contains original clubhouse of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. (1924), and the first large optical telescope (1930) built and owned by that kind of amateur society.

This is a site for getting students looking at their world - and teaching optics at the same time. Students build a modified kaleidoscope that will provide 3-dimensional images. Fun site.

This is a site for getting students looking at their world - and teaching optics at the same time. Students build a modified kaleidoscope that will provide 3-dimensional images. Fun site.

Find out how optical-camouflage technology works with this dynamic article from HowStuffWorks, Inc. Any fan of Harry Potter knows about invisibility cloaks. But do they exist in the real world?

The following picture is an example of an afterimage, a type of optical illusion that continues to appear in one's vision even after you finish looking at the original image.

The Bezold effect is named after Wilhelm von Bezold, a German professor of meteorology. It is an optical illusion that makes colors look different depending on their relation to adjacent colors. It works with small sections of color...

This face and vase picture is a very common optical illusion. Do you a white vase or two identical black faces looking at each other?

This optical illusion image is known as a Fraser spiral illusion, or false spiral. The black arcs appear to form a spiral when in fact they are a series of concentric circles.

This black and white image is a very famous example of an optical illusion. Designed and drawn by C. Allan Gilbert, the name of the image is 'All is Vanity'. It represents both life and death where the meaning of existence is intertwined.

These are two simple missing shape optical illusions shown in black and white. The existence of a white triangle can easily be imagined in the top image while your brain can also easily create the existence of a white sphere in the lower...

This excellent optical illusion is confusing because when you look at it, it appears that the nine wheels are moving, when in fact they are not.

This optical illusion, known as the Orbison illusion, gives the effect that the rectangle and inner square are distorted. This effect is caused by the horizontal V shaped lines.

This famous optical illusion makes the parallel horizontal lines appear to be bent when in fact they are straight. It was originally noticed amongst the tiles of a cafe wall and can now be seen in architecture such as on a large building...

Does this optical illusion show a man playing a saxophone or a woman's face? You be the judge.

This is a vertical and horizontal line length optical illusion. The vertical line that is part of the image on the left looks longer than the horizontal line but when it is checked with a ruler on the right image it is proved that they...

A collection of video lectures from a physics course focusing on vibration and waves taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The course overviews topics dealing with mechanical vibration and waves with twenty-three lectures....

Short descriptions of possible physics demonstrations for illustrating dichroic polarization and the role of Polaroid filters in blocking roadway glare. Suitable as an idea-generator for student projects.

This ScienceWorld site provides a short biographical sketch of Christiaan Huygens and describes his most notable scientific discoveries and contributions. Links are provided throughout for additional information as well.

At this site students can experiment with different illusions and even print them out to try on their friends.

A very brief biography that lists his major accomplishments including the invention of the kaleidoscope.

Watch this classical example of the perception of contrasts.

Is this a spiral or a clever composition of circular segments intensified with triangles?

A great resource to discover fun new activities to use in your classroom. Activities are age-appropriate, and span several science topics.

This life of Isaac Newton' traces his life from birth through childhood to his rise as a renown scientist and mathematician.