MICA optical : a low-cost, educational Michelson interferometer
Name
864589980-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.83 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f802461d4d5d66de1a81b26593a55a53
Author(s)
Oliveira, Jillian M
Advisor(s)
Ian W. Hunter.
Alternative Title
Measurement, Instrumentation, Control, and Analysis Project optical
Low-cost, educational Michelson interferometer
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Current initiatives that provide widespread access to online educational tools, such as edX and Coursera, are transforming education. The MICA (Measurement, Instrumentation, Control, and Analysis) Project, developed by MIT's BioInstrumentation Lab, is a similar initiative that aims to provide students with affordable, modular, and practical experimental tools. This thesis outlines the development of a MICA optical project, the Michelson interferometer. In this classic experiment, by correctly assembling and aligning the optical components, two different interference patterns can be obtained and observed. Other potential experiments include the measurement of light wavelengths, coherence length, as well as thermal expansion coefficients with the addition of a few simple parts. The initial benchmarking, the design process, and the final manufacturing methods for this module are discussed. The result of this project is a modular kit that can accompany a student's online course materials for about the cost of a textbook.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-46).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
