Re: The cost to make a laser

Date view Thread view Subject view Author view Attachment view

From: Tucker Hiatt (hiattu00@usfca.edu)
Date: Sat Apr 20 2002 - 23:05:38 PDT 

Message-Id: <a05100300b8e7d3d79b31@[12.236.121.220]>
Date: Sat, 20 Apr 2002 23:05:38 -0700
From: Tucker Hiatt <hiattu00@usfca.edu>
Subject: Re: The cost to make a laser

What ho, Art!

Just in case you're in the market for a relatively inexpensive green
laser, and a hand-held model will do, read on...

Howie Glatter of New Jersey sells his 532-nm "SkyPointer" for about
$240 <http://www.skypointer.net/>. I bought one last fall, and am
thoroughly satisfied with it. The SkyPointer makes a very cool laser
pointer. It also allows a physics teacher to show how the
double-slit interference pattern differs for shorter wavelength
waves. Best of all, the SkyPointer's beam is visible to dark-adapted
eyes as it travels through ordinary air -- no chalk dust necessary!
Thus, the SkyPointer earns its name by being a fantastic tool for
pointing out objects in the night sky. When pointed skyward, its
beautiful green beam seems to extend dozens of meters into the air --
far enough to pinpoint individual stars to those in your immediate
vicinity without much of a parallax problem. Any astronomy teacher
should love it.

By the way, I own no SkyPointer stock and get no kick-backs. ;-)

- Tucker

Art Fortgang wrote:
>Metrologic sells lasers in the 600 nm range (red-
>orange) for about $300. Their green laser (about 550
>nm) costs nearly $800. I think I understand why the
>green laser ought to cost more to manufacture, but I
>don't know why it should be nearly three times as
>expensive (assuming the cost to consumer ratio roughly
>equals the manufacturing cost ratio of the two). Does
>anyone know why there is a 2.5:1 ratio in
>manufacturing costs. 

-- 
***********************************
Tucker Hiatt, Director
Wonderfest
P.O. Box 887
(39 Fernhill Avenue)
Ross, CA  94957
hiattu00@usfca.edu
415-577-1126 (voice)
415-454-2535 (fax)
http://www.wonderfest.org

Truth is a great flirt.  - Franz Liszt
***********************************

Date view Thread view Subject view Author view Attachment view

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Mon Aug 05 2002 - 09:21:41 PDT