SWENext
Engineering Challenge
SWENext Engineering Challenge #19
Periscope
When you look at something, like a ball, you see it because light from the sun (or another light source)
reflects off the ball and reaches your eye. If a friend holds the ball around a corner, light reflecting off
the ball can’t reach your eye anymore and you can’t see it. But you can see it when you use a periscope.
That’s because the periscope uses mirrors to reflect the light from the ball around the corner and to your
eye.
After following the directions see how you can change the design. Can you think of ways to improve
the design of your periscope? What happens if you use a longer box? Try it out, and send your
results to ZOOM at pbskids.org/zoom.
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and other SWENexters. We want to see your creativity.
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sci
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d:
What You Nee
• a friend
• a mirror
juice
• 1 empty milk or
dried
carton, rinsed and
taped
• 2 small mirrors
ard
to pieces of cardbo
• scissors
• duct tape
e
p
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c
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e
P
l.
to o
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out stuff with this spy
scope
y
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u look into a large
while yo
u
to stand behind yo
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1 Ask a friend
gh your back is to
ou
th
en
Ev
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se
u
. What do yo
mirror
her or him?
friend, can you see
in the
ur friend is reflected
yo
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us
ca
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u
yo
ind
mirror?
2 You can see beh
ions using just one
ct
re
di
r
he
ot
in
e
mirror. Can you se
what happens!
the mirror and see
or
dy
bo
ur
yo
e
ov
M
ace a large object
ing two mirrors. Pl
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r the table and ho
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second mirror belo
e first
flection from th
able to see the re
irrors,
angles of the m
mirror. Notice the
see the object. Now
which allow you to
own periscope.
you’ve made your
pe by
a portable perisco
4 You can make
s in
to hold the mirror
on
rt
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us
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nt
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ro
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LUZ
TAPE
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TAPE
Can you think of ways to
improve the design of
your periscope? What happens
if you use a longer box?
Try it out, and send your
results to ZOOM at
pbskids.org/zoom
CINTA
Science Scoop
When you look at something, like a ball, you
see it because light from the sun (or another
light source) reflects off the ball and reaches
your eye. If a friend holds the ball around a
corner, light reflecting off the ball can’t
reach your eye anymore and you can’t see it.
But you CAN see it when you use a periscope.
That’s because the periscope uses mirrors
to reflect the light from the ball around the
corner and to your eye.
r
ro
mir
LOOK IN HERE
jo
pe
es
Mira por aquí
ca
d
ar
bo
rd
ca
n
rtó
Sent in by Eri n of Bountiful, VT
pbskids.org/zoom
e
p
o
c
s
i
Per
LUZ
Send an e-mail:
pbskids.org/zoom/sendit
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ard
bo
FRONT
d
car
BACK
ror
mir
LIGHT
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mi
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oa
db
car
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Educational Foundation. Used with permission. ZOOM is produced by WGBH Boston. Funding for ZOOM is provided by the National Science
Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Weezie Foundation, and public television viewers. This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0337323. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in
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TV, the Web, in print materials, and in other ZOOMways. So, send it to ZOOM. Thanks! Illustrations: Stephen Schudlich