I did the double slit experiment at home
Supported by Screen Australia and Youtube through the Skip Ahead initiative.
Safety and where to get the supplies:
I would love for you to try this experiment but please be careful with the lasers. If you're going to buy a green laser then it's crucial that you buy a proper one. Green lasers emit light a lot of invisible IR light and in cheap lasers this often isn't filtered out well. Blue/ violet lasers can also be dangerous for another reason. Our eyes are terrible at seeing these wavelengths, so the laser will look much less strong than it is, which means you might be playing with a dangerously strong laser without knowing it. Red lasers are generally the safer bet. I saw the effect I was looking for even when I used cheap ~1mW red lasers, so it will still work for you!
If you'd like to invest in a nice laser though, this article has some trustworthy green laser brands: https://www.planetguide.net/as....tronomy-laser-pointe
Another way to buy lasers that are eyesafe is to get them from school science lab suppliers.
(Note: in some countries it's illegal to sell lasers over 1mW. Please check the laws where you live. In the USA the limit is 5mW)
The smoke machine I got used glycerol. I’m very suspicious of breathing in that smoke though, especially since the room can't be too well ventilated or it won't work. Fine particulate matter is a serious health risk in general so even though glycerol is nontoxic I think it may still be hazardous to inhale. I recommend wearing an airtight n95 mask or similar while doing this experiment.
It found it a bit tricky to source the double slit cheaply in Australia- your best bet might be a science lab supplier. In the USA you can get it on amazon though.
Video credits:
The beautiful animations in this video are made by Kathy Sarpi: https://kathysarpi.com/
Thank you to Screen Australia and Google Australia for funding this project, and to the wonderful people at Screen Australia who helped me throughout the process.
Thanks also to all my beta testers (aka friends)!!
