Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

For the instructions on how to make hollow prisms with microscope slides, it listed under materials that you need 4 but the how to shows only that you need one. I tried to make it with 1 and the prism seems awfully small, and how do i hold the liquid im going to poor underside glass to the prism unless the cardboard will hold it in :/. Thanks any help will be appreciated

TBTHarvest - In reading the instructions for this experiment, it is clear that you need two microscope slides to build the prism. One which is carefully cut into three panels (two cuts) and one to form the base. Perhaps the instructions and material list took into account the fragile nature of the slides and allowed for breakage. As I read the procedure it is a novel way to create a hollow prism, but I recommend that a very flat base be used when scribing the glass. It is easy to imagine that an imperfect scribe line could result and the thickness of the electrical tape could lead to a poor 'snap' of the slide. Possibly the reason for having two extra slides. I would recommend the diamond scribe tool instead of a regular tungsten wheel glass cutter to allow a fine scratch line to be created with very little pressure.

Rick Marz

Thank You So much, I'll try to build it now I guess I don't need a huge hollow prism.