Periscopes allow us to see objects that are out of our direct line of sight. Look through the window. Turn the handles to adjust the angles of the mirrors. Rotate the periscope to see around the exhibition. 

At what angle will you have to set the mirrors to see forwards over the screen? 

How can you change the top mirror to see behind you? 

What can you see? 

What is the difference between the way this periscope and the submarine periscope works? 

How can you see around corners?

 

 

In its simplest form a periscope is a tube, within this tube will be an arrangement of lenses and mirrors, or prisms. This allows the viewer to see around things or on a level that the eye cannot see. A periscope works by a top mirror catching an image and reflecting into the tube at a right angle. At the bottom of the tube the second mirror will also reflect the image at a right angle into the viewer’s vision. Periscopes were used a lot in the First World War, mainly in the trenches. This was so an observation could be made without exposing the viewer. They are also widely used on submarines to see above the water.

 

Light and Dark

How we see things