Kaleidoscope - Wikipedia

Coined by its Scottish inventor David Brewster,[1] "kaleidoscope" is derived from the Ancient Greek word καλός (kalos), "beautiful, beauty",[2]εἶδος (eidos), "that which is seen: form, shape"[3] and σκοπέω (skopeō), "to look to, to examine",[4] hence "observation of beautiful forms."[5] It was first published in the patent that was granted on July 10, 1817.[6] A comparison of the mirror constructions of Kircher (left) and Bradley (right) Patterns when seen through a kaleidoscope tubeMultiple reflection by two or more reflecting surfaces has been known since antiquity and was described as such by Giambattista della Porta in his Magia Naturalis (1558–1589). In 1646 Athanasius Kircher described an experiment with a construction of two mirrors, which could be opened and closed like a book and positioned in various angles, showing regular polygon figures consisting of reflected aliquot sectors of 360°. Mr. Bradley's New Improvements in Planting and Gardening (1717) described a similar construction to be placed on geometrical drawings to show an image with multiplied reflection. However, an optimal configuration that produces the full effects of the kaleidoscope was not recorded before 1815.[7]Video of a rotating kaleidoscope viewIn 1814 Sir David Brewster conducted experiments on light polarization by successive reflections between plates of glass and first noted "the circular arrangement of the images of a candle round a center, and the multiplication of the sectors formed by the ...

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