Physics PERISCOPE

Periscope

A periscope is an optical instrument that allows the viewing of objects that are not in direct line of sight. Periscopes have proven to be of great help to submariners to have a view above the surface of water. Periscopes also help in navigation under water.

A simple periscope only requires mirrors, whilst a more complicated periscope makes use of prisms instead of mirrors.

The periscopes used in submarines are complex and use tubes 10 meters in length for to achieve a greater range of scope.

Recent developments in science and technology have brought in the use of fibre optics in periscopes.

Fibre optic periscopes like cystoscopes and endoscopes are used by medical physicians to view the organs of a human body without the need for major surgery.

`text(Working Principle)`
A periscope works on the Laws of Reflection.

The light from the object falls on one mirror (placed at `45^o` to the object) and is reflected.

This reflected light in turn falls on another mirror and is again reflected until it reaches the human eye.

`text(Construction)`
Periscopes can be constructed using a pair of flat mirrors or prisms and a rectangular hollow tube having a viewing window at the top and bottom. The mirrors are fixed at an angle of `45^o` at the two ends of the rectangular hollow.

`text(Applications)`
Periscopes are found in a variety of applications but they are almost synonymous with their use in submarines for general navigation and to detect, alongside radar, threats which may be nearby.

In a similar 'threat detection' application, periscopes are often used on battlefields to look out of trenches safely without exposing the observer's body.

One of the most widely used applications for periscopes is in medicine. They're a less obtrusive method for looking into the human body to detect illness and disease than surgery is and are used in cystoscopes and endoscopes.

 
SiteLock