Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is a cylinder with angled mirrors placed inside it. At the end of the cylinder there is a transparent shell compartment which houses small object of varying colors, pieces of plastic, beads or various types of glitter. At the opposing end of the compartment there is a hole which makes its contents visible through the cylinder. The mirrors inside the kaleidoscope reflect and multiply the image of objects in the compartment, and the compartment itself can usually be rotated, thereby changing the positions of the objects in such a way that each movement creates a new unique image.

The mirrors can be angled differently, with the most common configuration being two mirrors placed in an equilateral triangle with with one side tinted. The more mirrors there are, the more times the image will be reflected, thereby creating increasingly complex and more interesting forms.

The word kaleidoscope is of greek origin, and was based on the word kalos (καλός) – beautiful, eidos (είδος) - shape and scopeo (σκοπέω) – to view/watch, to observe.

Kaleidoscope was well know to old Greeks, but in more recent times was made popular by the Scott physicist Sir David Brewster by performing light polarization experiments. It was patented in 1917.

Brewster believed that he would be made rich by his patent, but due to the poorly worded patent text, others were allowed the replication of his invention.

 

Kaleidoscope Types

Teleidoscope
There is no compartment housing the colored objects, instead it ends in a transparent lens which transforms anything looked at through it, into a kaleidoscope image. Brewster referred to a teleidoskope as the most common variation of the kaleidoscope because the observer was not limited by the objects in the kaleidoscope compartment, but the whole world became a kaleidoscope image. The big advantage of this type of teleidoscope is the ability to allow any observer to find the artistic value in, and view of, the environment.

 

Cellscope
The far component of this kaleidoscope is a compartment/cell holding the colored objects. It can be filled with dry pieces tumbling about the free space, by fluid in which the various colored pieces float and swim, light polarizing materials, or it can indeed stay empty so that any user can fill it according to their own preferences.

 

Wheelscope
The far end of this kaleidoscope has one or more rotating wheels attached to it. This type becomes more interesting if it includes several parts of varying glass types and shapes placed in different patterns.

 

Marblescope
This kaleidoscope is pointed towards a colored marble. As we rotate the marble, so the images inside the kaleidoscope are changed. Some kaleidoscope fans claim that these are the least interesting types of kaleidoscopes, while others claim they could spend days staring inside its tube. The marbles used in these kaleidoscopes are not ordinary, they need to be adequately semi-transparent and in turn have enough curved and colored patterns to make the image clear and interesting.