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Optics, illusions and experiments
The I05 Distorting Mirrors are an outdoor set of curved mirrors for the playground. Panes with different radii of curvature let children stretch their silhouette, flatten their face and see how the reflection changes with every step. They work well in nurseries, schools, therapy practices and public spaces.
Product description
It all starts at the pane. A flat mirror reflects the world point for point, because light bounces off an even surface at the same angle at which it arrived - one of the oldest laws of optics. Bend the pane into an arc, and the same rays spread out in different directions, so the reflection starts to stretch and shrink. Where does an attraction like this in the playground come from? From the fairground booths of the 19th century, where curved mirrors were set up in a row and passers-by stopped to look at their distorted reflections; from the fairs they moved to amusement parks and funhouses, and at the start of the 20th century Coney Island made them famous.
For this fun to be repeated for years, distorting mirrors in a nursery, school or hospital playground cannot be made of glass. Here the pane is polished stainless steel - it will not shatter or leave sharp shards under children's feet. The frame is galvanised and powder-coated, so rain, frost and sun leave it untouched, and the reflection works without electricity or batteries: just stand in front of the mirror. The equipment works outdoors all year round, winter included, and is covered by a warranty. The manufacturer is EduPlayground, and the distorting mirrors are made in Poland.
A child sees on their own silhouette that an image only forms from the way light reaches the eye, and that the shape of a surface can change it. The same optics are at work in a rear-view mirror, a traffic mirror and a reflecting telescope.
Why am I taller here, and wider a step further on? The question comes up by itself, and the answer lies in the shape of the pane. It is the first step in scientific thinking: notice the effect and look for the cause, instead of accepting that that is just how things are.
A stretched or flattened reflection makes children laugh, and along the way teaches them not to take themselves too seriously: the child learns that a curved pane is a game with light, not the truth about how they look. The odd shapes spark ideas for drawings and stories of their own.
Four elements: three decide what the reflection looks like, the fourth holds the pane in place in the playground.
The surface of the mirror is curved, so the rays spread out in different directions instead of returning to the eye in order, as they do from a flat pane. The reflection also changes with distance: close up it stretches one way, from a few steps away the other.
The arc of the pane is not the same everywhere. Where the curve is stronger, the reflection draws in and narrows; where it is gentler, it stretches and swells. That is why in one mirror legs become as thin as a stick and the body as wide as a barrel.
Each mirror in the set has a different radius of curvature, so the reflection in each one looks different. Children go from pane to pane and compare which one turns them into a giant and which into a dwarf. Two children stand at two panes and compare the same face they pull.
The pane is set in a steel frame that holds it upright and takes in the whole silhouette, not just the face. So you can see at once what happens to the legs in a squat and to the head in a jump - and every movement of the body gives a different reflection.
Specification
| Catalogue no. | I05 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | length: 100 cm | width: 6 cm | height: 175 cm |
| Safety zone | 4 x 3.06 m |
| Children's age | from 3 years |
| Material | Steel frame, mirror - polished stainless steel. Main structural profile: closed profile, black steel |
| Protection | Galvanised, powder-coated frame |
| Colour | Green (RAL 6018) |
| Installation | Galvanised steel anchors L=75 cm, set in the ground and concreted in; bolted connection to the equipment. |
| Safety standard | EN 1176-1 |
| Main category | Optics, illusions and experiments |
| Country of origin | Poland |
| Warranty | 2 years |
For tenders
Full design pack for tenders:
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Before it is installed
Before the mirror goes into the playground, our adviser will help you plan all the technical details. We are with you at every stage of the project, sharing our knowledge and experience so that the equipment serves children as well as possible for many years.
Export
Urszula Brzóska (Mrs.)
WhatsApp +48 698 728 005u.brzoska@npz.edu.plWrite to me on FacebookHead of Export Department
Customer service office: office@eduplayground.eu
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