Mark Miodownik describes how optical fibres work.
He sees how they were developed in medicine and dentistry in order to transmit an image from within the body to the surgeons operating from the outside.
Mark explains, using an animation, how optical fibres are able to transmit light over great distances, and demonstrates how total internal reflection can bend light around a corner.
Teacher Notes
Students can use this clip as an introduction to total internal reflection.
Students can model how total internal reflection works and can continue by looking other uses of optical fibres, such as in endoscopes.
Curriculum Notes
This clip will be relevant for teaching Chemistry and Physics at KS3 and GCSE Level. This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4 and 5 in Scotland, and Cambridge IGCSE Physics.
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