A magic trick

[jason]

Fill a bowl with Wesson brand vegetable oil and dip a (borosilicate) Pyrex test tube in it -- and the test tube will disappear, as seen in this video. What's going on? The oil and test tube have the same indices of refraction; that is, the speed of light passing through either medium is identical. As light is not refracted nor reflected as it passed from the oil to the test tube, the test tube seems to disappear before our very eyes.

 

[Windrider]

Cool. I wonder what my index of refraction is? I could think of several interesting things to do while invisible

 

[PatrickWilliams]

Cool. I wonder what my index of refraction is? I could think of several interesting things to do while invisible

I dunno. Should we start dipping you into different kinds of oil to find out?

 

[BukeyeJackson]

I dunno. Should we start dipping you into different kinds of oil to find out?

Now, now, I think that might cause an inconvienence to me....

 

[PatrickWilliams]

Now, now, I think that might cause an inconvienence to me....

Oh, well then ... we'll just have to call the experiment off. Anyone know where I can unload a few hundred gallons of assorted oils???

 

[BukeyeJackson]

Oh, well then ... we'll just have to call the experiment off. Anyone know where I can unload a few hundred gallons of assorted oils???

Oh wait.... I heard BP has a person for that.