Copernicus – Radiometer
Radiometer Another oldie but goodie. 5″ high evacuated clear glass stand 3″ in diameter at the top. A four bladed vane is balanced on a needle inside the sphere. Because opposite surfaces of the vanes are black and white, incident radiant energy is absorbed or reflected to a different degree. The result is a spinning vane. The brighter the light, the faster it spins. Simple, but compelling. Brief explanatory instruction sheet included.
Product Features
- Light spin this radiometer’s veins
- The stronger the light the faster they spin
- Vacuum sealed globe on a durable plastic base
- Comes boxed with informational pamphlet
- Explore light and physics
A really cool gizmo A radiometer doesn’t do anything useful, but it’s really cool. You set it in the light and it spins. That’s all. My cousin had one when I was a kid and I was always jealous. It struck me a fun stocking stuffer for my son who is an engineering student. It was a real hit. He immediately set about determining what kinds of light worked best: sunlight, incandescent, fluorescent, flashlight, candle light, heat from a blow dryer. I guess I’m going to have to get myself another one when he goes back to college next week.
Classic Toy, Still Awesome! This is wonderful! I remember when I was a kid, and had one of these. It is not exactly fun to play with actively all the time, or something that you will be using every day to check lighting conditions, but it is definitely something to put on your window sill, or on a dresser or book shelf where it can be hit with the sun. I find it more of a decorative piece.It is good to see these are still being made and sold! I bought two, and they both arrived VERY well packaged, in perfect condition, and work great! They also come with a little workbook with scientific experiments that can be done with them, and explanations of why it spins. Useful to teach with!