The Simplest Magnifier (Super Science Experiments)

You will need:

1. Scissors
2. Old clear plastic bottle
3. Water
4. Newspaper

Create the simplest magnifying glass in the world and understand the
concept behind it.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Ask an adult to help you cut a small piece of old clear plastic bottle with the help of scissors. The plastic piece need not be more than 1 inch by 2
   inches long.
2. Make sure the piece does not have any scratches on it.
3. Place a very small drop of
   water at one end of the
   plastic piece.
4. Now, try reading words from the newspaper.
5. Next try increasing the size of the water droplet and then read the words again.

RESULT

The smaller the droplet, the greater is its magnifying strength. But it does become difficult to read. For any object to appear large, it has to make a larger angle on the eye. When we see through water droplets, the bulbous characteristics of the droplet create angles which make the object appear larger than it is, thus magnifying it for our eyes. Based on this principle, microscopes using very tiny lens were built in the 17th century.