Submitted by: Olin
Read their cover letter:
“Physics helps me to see the world differently through spectroscopy – the study of how light splits up into its colour components, revealing the hidden makeup of everything around us. First demonstrated by Isaac Newton in the late 1660s when he split up light from the sun into its components using a prism, spectroscopy allows us to literally see the world beyond the limitations of the naked eye.
This technique has made countless major discoveries across the fields of physics, chemistry, astronomy and biology. From revealing the elemental composition of distant stars, leading to the discovery of the expanding universe to helping us understand the quantum nature of the atom, laying the groundwork for modern quantum mechanics – spectroscopy plays a fundamental role in our understanding of life, the universe and everything.
To explore this further, I have constructed my own fully functioning spectrometer using only everyday household materials, costing nothing, and have conducted scientific experiments to test its accuracy and functionality – fully analysing every aspect of each experiment. This hands-on project has deepened my appreciation for physics as a tool which not only explains the world but also transforms how we see it.”