Explorations With Laser Art

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Explorations WithLaser Art

• Melissa Small Randy Tang

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Goal To develop 2-D and 3-D patterns and
geometric shapes using a laser beam.
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Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation
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Laser Generated Circle

• Spirograph (Circle)
• Mirror attached to motor at a slight angle.

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Magnetism/Electricity

• Magnet has 2 poles North and South
• Magnetic field region around magnet
• Basic magnetic interaction the magnetic
• force one moving charge exerts on another
• moving charge.
• magnetic interaction can also be thought of
• as an interaction between two currents

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Magnetic Force
F qv X B
q charge V velocity of charge B magnetic
field (tesla)

• Force on q is always perpendicular to direction
  of q.

• Magnetic force causes q to change its direction
  of motion, but not its speed.
•  

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Tangent Galvanometer
-When a current is sent through the coil, a
magnetic field is produced perpendicular to the
plane of the coil, and directly proportional to
the current.
Direction of Current flow
S
S
N
Mirror (magnet attached to back)
N
Direction of Magnetic Field
AC Power source utilized to control
vibrational frequency of mirror
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Tangent Galvanometer

• magnitude of the magnetic field B
• magnitude of the horizontal component of the
  earth's magnetic field B
• Compass needle aligns itself along the vector sum
  of B and B' after rotating through an angle Ø
  from its original orientation.
• Thus tan Ø B/B
• Since the magnetic field of the earth is
  constant, and B depends directly on the current,
  the current is thus proportional to the tangent
  of the angle through which the needle has turned.
•  

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Basics of Fog Machine

• Fog Fluid moved into Heat
• Exchanger via Pump
• Fluid vaporizes in a process
• known as "flashing"
• Fluid expands and is forced
• out through the nozzle
• Opaque aerosol formed

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Fog Fluid

• Made from a series of glycols
• mixed with water
• Specific fluid formulas require
• specific temperature for optimum
• aerosolization
• If machine calibrated at too low temperature
• "wet" fog is created leave a residue
• If temperature is too high, fluid can "burn"
• or decompose, thus changing its chemical
• composition (harmful byproducts)

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Controlling the Fog

• Ductwork to direct fog
• Most dryer hose is too lightweight
• Use PVC piping
• Constricted fog condenses generates unwanted
  residue
• Ductwork should not be too narrow

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Fog Chamber
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Fog Chamber

• Create cone using circle pattern
• Circle increases in diameter as
• it gets farther from motor
• Create plane using line
• Line lengthens as it
• gets farther from
• mirror (trapezoid)

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Conic Sections

• Intersection of the cone plane should be yellow
  conic section (red green?yellow)

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An alternative method to generate conic
sections. . .

• Intersecting a laser generated cone with
• a side of the fog chamber.
• Conic section appears at intersection between
• cone and glass.

Parabola
Ellipse
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Creating a laser generated wave

• Two tangent galvanometers, where the
• direction of the magnets magnetic fields are
• perpendicular to one another.
• One creates a vertical line which the other
• in turn uses to generate the wave.

Laser generated wave
Laser
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Generating a wave using a polygon mirror

• Polygon Mirror attached
• to motor.
• When motor spins and
• laser beam strikes mirror,
• a line is produced
• (alternative way of
• generating a line)
• Used in combination with
• Tangent Galvanometer,
• wave is produced.

Mirrors
Wave pattern
Galvanometer
Motor
Laser
Spinning polygon mirror
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Question What practical applications can our
project be applied to?Answer Math Class

• Conic sections
• Maxima/minima
• Tangent planes
• Visualize complicated functions