• Question: In Britain's got talent 2012 someone made a laser harp. How were the lasers used to make sound?

    Asked by kentf002 to Mike, Pip, Tianfu, Tim, Tom on 29 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Tim Stephens

      Tim Stephens answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      The lasers didn’t make the sound exactly.
      A musical keyboard makes sound when you press a key. The key is just a switch and the keyboard emits the note when the switch is closed. The laser harp is the same, except that the switches are light sensitive and turn on when you block the beam.
      You might have used light-gates in your science lessons at school, and the laser harp uses exactly the same principle.

    • Photo: Tom Lister

      Tom Lister answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      That’s not a talent! people were doing that in the 1980’s (maybe even earlier?)

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