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Make an invisible bottle!

video Make an invisible bottle!
Make a bottle disappear before your very eyes. Super easy experiment with amazing results!
11 comments
Nov 10, 2011. 4:04 AMsandeep lokhande says:
What about same shade square. what type of illusion is this.
What is the material of square?
Dec 7, 2009. 2:44 AMLankyDuke says:
Yes, the refractive indices of the glass and glycerol are the same :)
As light enters glass (or water) it slows down, in doing so it changes direction.
Think of a straw in a glass of water. The light is bent as it enters and exits the water, and you see the straw in a different apparent location.
Since the indices in this experiment are the same, the light passes through the glass and oil unphased, and it appears to VANISH!

If you don't fill the inner bottle with glycerin, then you have a volume of air, with a lower refractive index, and it destroys the illusion.
Oct 7, 2011. 6:15 AMdyly says:
correct.
Jan 13, 2010. 9:48 AMItsYourDime says:
I saw something like this on Beakman's World when I was little. It was a little bit different though. The inner vessel was filled with water and the larger outer jar was filled with light cornsyrup. Something about the way light refracts through it makes the inner glass appear missing.
Dec 19, 2009. 7:54 PMtechie_boyz says:
the music is little bit creepy...
Dec 6, 2009. 12:56 PMwee_man says:
Very cool.
Dec 6, 2009. 8:33 AMSicilianMafia says:
Doesn't this happen because the index of refraction is the same on both the bottle and the water?
Dec 6, 2009. 5:05 AMgreeenpro says:
Wow.  I had no idea that was possible.  Very interesting!
Dec 5, 2009. 9:35 PMbudsiskos says:
 hmmm interesting, why does this happen? does the glycerin have the same refracting properties as the glass?
Dec 5, 2009. 9:57 PMironsmiter says:
Basically? yes.
Dec 5, 2009. 9:58 PMironsmiter says:
not sure, But I think it's also necessary to fill the inner bottle with glycerin.

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