The Inquisition

sticky tape

Velcro

I was surprised when late at night and changing my son’s re-usable nappy, he started to emit small bursts of light from his belly. What is it?

Well, (mainly according to Wikipedia; who else?) Triboluminescence is an optical phenomenon in which light is generated via the breaking of asymmetrical bonds in a crystal when that material is scratched, crushed, or rubbed.

The discovery of triboluminescence was an accidental by-product of late 18th century sugar production. The celebrated Irish scientist was one of the first great minds to tackle the weighty issue of rubbing sweets together to make tiny amounts of light. Try this out by rubbing sugar cubes together or crushing Polo mints in a dark room. Alternatively, if you already have friends, just take the Inquisition’s word for it.

Sticky-tape X rays powered by triboluminescence

The phenomenon reached the news recently when researchers realised that peeling sticky tape causes luminence of which x-rays form a part of the wavelengths released. It would take large amounts of tape peeling (in a vacuum) to create medical strength x-rays though. Physicists from the University of California at Los Angeles did just this.

More – Direct From Wikipedia:

For example, a diamond may begin to glow while being rubbed. This occasionally happens to diamonds while a facet is being ground or the diamond is being sawn during the cutting process. Diamonds may fluoresce blue or red. Ordinary friction tape (the cloth type — not the shiny electrician’s tape) displays a glowing line where the end of the tape is being pulled away from the roll. Many postal envelopes will produce a blue glow when opened in the dark or in low-light conditions. Also, when sugar crystals are crushed, tiny electrical fields are created, separating positive and negative charges that then create sparks while trying to reunite. Wint-O-Green Life Savers work especially well for creating such sparks, because wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) is fluorescent and converts ultraviolet light into blue light. Some Band Aid wrappers and Breathe Right wrappers also glow bluish-green when unwrapped swiftly.

This post is tagged Add new tag, Light, Science, Sellotape