Celebration of 200 years of the kaleidoscope

Abstract

The UNESCO established 2015 as the International Year of the Light (IYL), but in 2016 it is celebrated the 200 years of the invention of kaleidoscope. Nowadays, it does not attract as much attention as at the time of its invention. This precious instrument is still in use, mainly to whom appreciate beautiful images and teachers who want to apply experiments in their classes. In this report we present the conditions of the kaleidoscope invention, made by Sir David Brewster, and some applications in Arts and in classrooms.

Keywords:
kaleidoscope; reflection; polarization; symmetry