Question about Optics for lasers

[Lazerzen]

Could someone give some ideas or uses for Optics to use with lasers. I have bought an optics kit, but am kinda at a loss of what to really do with them. so any helpful hints or suggestions of uses would be greatly appreciated.

 

[scopeguy20]

Well aside from demonstrating ray tracing visually, and trying light show effects such as bouncing off spinning mirrors and diffraction gratings and spinning or reflecting on water or CD's or through ice or marbles, crystals or baroque shaped glass or well sorry, I got nothing here!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Oh yeah, you can see inside of frosted glass to see if the light bulb has a broken filament or show total internal reflection and index of refraction etc. ...

 

[pocketfluff]

Oh yeah, you can see inside of frosted glass to see if the light bulb has a broken filament

hUh?!

 

[FrothyChimp]

External optics are a means of transporting a laser beam from one location to another in a form required at the other end.

Here are some quick examples:

Collimation: adaptive optics, fiber coupling, controlling divergence
Beam expansion: Illumination, holography
Beam contraction: cutting, marking, etching, beam waist control
Beam splitting: interferometry, holography
Beam combining: light shows

These are just a few examples of the thousands of uses of optics in laser systems. Unless you want to try out some of these things you really have no need for external optics.

 

[Lazerzen]

I mainly have lenses- Biconvex, Biconcave, plano convex..etc. also have an assortment of prisms.

but when i shine a laser through these I am not sure what I am looking for. I almost enjoy shining the laser through other glass objects around the house more.

Now are the lens assortments for burning?
Are the prisms better if mounted on something spinning?

 

[scopeguy20]

Try it dude! Just point the laser at a light bulb and see the filament projected on the other side of the bulb! A burned filament will not be a complete connection.