Green Diode Laser Pointers Have Now Dropped in Cost to About $10

Abstract

Also on the cheap apparatus hunt, handheld green diode laser pointers are now $8–12 each from www.amazon.com or www.ebay.com—search for “green laser pointers.” Because green light is in the center of the sensitivity of our eyes, we see 5 mW of green light MUCH more clearly than the same power red diode laser. Green lasers are preferred for pointing out astronomical objects in the night sky or for those faint wave diffraction experiments. A group of my students worked on green laser pointer diffraction experiments this past summer, and their work can be seen at http://physicsed.buffalostate.edu/eurp09.