The Midland Journal

RISING SUN HIGH SCHOOL

Ultra-Violet Ray Demonstrations

Mr. Hovermill, the science teacher, has been holding some demonstrations of ultra-violet rays recently, to which the pupils of his various classes were invited.

Light really consists of very short waves of "ether", shorter even than radio waves, but similar in nature. Different colors are the reflections of different length waves of light from objects we see to our eyes. The longest light waves we can see we call red, the shortest, violet. The light waves longer than red we call infra-red (below red), and those shorter than violet, ultra-violet (beyond violet).

Infra-red and ultra-violet light are, of course, ordinarily invisible.

There are bulbs made to strain out all but ultra-violet light, and by using these we can find the effect of this invisible light upon different materials. Many substances, metals, for example, show no effect, but others reflect the ultra-violet light to our eyes in a visible glow.

Such substances absorb it and glow or phosphoresce after the ultra-violet light is shut off.

Many strange and unusual effects are obtained under this light, for example, all hair appears gray, and fingernails look ghastly. Often things appear in entirely different colors than in daylight.