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General Physics Science Fair Project

Colored Glass Filters and Laser Power

Hard
Colored Glass Filters and Laser Power | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can a colored glass filter reduce the power of a laser beam? You aim red, green, and blue laser pointers at a solar cell connected to a watt meter. Each laser is rated at 1 watt. First you measure the power without any filter. Then you place red, green, and blue glass filters one at a time between each laser and the solar cell. You record the power reading for every combination. The results show that none of the colored glass filters reduced laser power by a meaningful amount. The red laser delivered the most power overall. The blue laser delivered the least.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the colored glass will filter and block the beam of the laser pointer.

Method & Materials

You will need to set up a laser pointer, a holder for the laser pointer, colored glass filters, a watt-meter, and a solar cell. You will measure the power of the laser beam with the solar cell and record the results.
You will need a 1 watt red laser pointer, a 1 watt green laser pointer, a 1 watt blue laser pointer, a holder for the laser pointer, a red glass filter, a green glass filter, a blue glass filter, a watt-meter, a solar cell, and a 1-meter ruler.

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Results

The results showed that the colored glass filters did not have any significant impact on the power of the laser beam. It was also observed that the red laser beam emitted the greatest amount of power and the blue beam, the least amount of power.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it explores the power of lasers and colored filters. It also shows how the color of the laser beam affects the power of the beam.

Also Consider

Consider repeating the experiment with other color laser pointers like yellow or orange. You could also try passing the laser through a beaker filled with colored solution.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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