This demonstration kit for studying optics, model LABOTRIX OPTICA O1, is a set of demonstration equipment for physics teachers in general secondary schools and in science-oriented classes. It is designed for demonstration experiments covering optical phenomena of both ray and wave nature, letting students become acquainted with the nature of light radiation and with optical phenomena in nature, and verify the basic laws of optics in practice. The kit is built around a magnetic optical bench with a scale, which provides precise alignment and fixing of the optical elements, and a printed methodological guide for conducting demonstration experiments is part of the delivery.
The kit holds 36 positions of optical elements, 39 elements in total counting multiples, and all of them fit into the moulded insert of the storage box; the length of the optical bench with the scale depends on the configuration. The main optical elements are made of optical glass and acrylic, and all components are of industrial grade and intended for repeated experiments in a learning environment. The lenses have focal lengths of 75, 100 and 150 mm, and the convex and concave mirrors focal lengths of 50 and 80 mm. The prisms are a triangular prism and a right-angled isosceles prism of optical glass, the diffraction gratings have periods of 0.01 and 0.06 mm, and the single and double slits have widths of 0.05, 0.10 and 0.8 mm. The half-cylinders of optical glass and acrylic have a diameter of 25 mm, and the sample blocks for refraction experiments measure 70 × 40 × 20 mm. A light source, screens and observation devices are part of the kit, and power comes from the mains or from a battery depending on the type of light source. Operating conditions are the premises of an educational institution at an air temperature from +5 to +40 °C and relative humidity from 40 to 60 % without condensate. The service life is 5 years and the warranty period is 12 months. The marking and operating documentation are in Ukrainian, the product is marked with the trade mark, the model and a space for the inventory number, and it is packed in an individual corrugated cardboard box with the contents held in a moulded insert. The kit is supplied assembled and requires no additional set-up; the optical elements may be wiped with a microfibre cloth.
The set includes a magnetic optical bench with a scale; frame holders for optical elements — 4 pcs; a light source with a power module; an inclined movable support for the optical disc and prisms; a plate with an image (vector); a screen with a scale for observing diffraction; a test screen; a trihedral mirror with convex, concave and flat surfaces; a collimating mirror; a plate with one slit 0.8 mm; a plate with five slits 0.8 mm; an acrylic half-cylinder d = 25 mm; an optical glass half-cylinder d = 25 mm; an acrylic block 70 × 40 × 20 mm; an optical glass block 70 × 40 × 20 mm; concave mirrors F = 50 mm and F = 80 mm; convex mirrors F = 50 mm and F = 80 mm; convex lenses F = 75 mm, F = 100 mm and F = 150 mm; concave lenses F = 75 mm, F = 100 mm and F = 150 mm; a triangular prism of optical glass; a right-angled isosceles prism of optical glass; optical slits 0.05 mm and 0.10 mm; double optical slits d = 0.05 mm and d = 0.10 mm; diffraction gratings d = 0.01 mm and d = 0.06 mm; a set of colour filters; an optical disc; a limb with a degree scale; a moulded insert for placing the components; a storage box; the methodological guide for demonstration experiments; the right of access to the online course with the assistant (licence); the passport with the warranty card; and individual transport packaging.
Supplied with the kit is a right of access to an online teaching support course hosted in a learning management system and designed for 70 academic hours of classes, compiled in line with the current curricula of Ukrainian general secondary schools. The materials are grouped into research modules in physics, biology, chemistry and STEM, and each topic contains a lesson plan, a list of the equipment required, a scenario for conducting the experiment, a step-by-step instruction for the laboratory work with an explanation of the expected result, a video demonstration of working techniques, and interactive exercises and tasks for independent study, suitable for both individual and group work. All modules are compiled for this same equipment and verified on it, so the course runs along a direct chain from the equipment through the methodology to the learning results.
The kit includes an AI assistant built into the learning management system on retrieval-augmented generation. It selects research tasks and experiments matching the topic of the lesson, describes the procedure of the experiment step by step, identifies typical student errors and gives personalised recommendations for correcting them, adapts task difficulty to different levels of student preparation, supports students in compiling reports on research results and in structuring the conclusions drawn from experiments, and works on a localised knowledge base aligned with the national curriculum of Ukraine. The licence for the course and the software is valid for 12 months; content, interface and learning materials are in Ukrainian. For this kit the assistant draws on the topics of ray and wave optics that the demonstration components of the set are built to show.
Glass components have sharp edges and can break when dropped, so they are handled carefully and are not subjected to mechanical impact; if an element breaks, the fragments are removed and disposed of by a member of staff. The working surfaces of lenses and mirrors are not touched with fingers, sharp objects are not inserted into the slits, and the elements are not disassembled or modified. The light source heats up in operation, so it is switched on and off only by the teacher, its beam is not directed into the eyes, and it is left to cool before packing. Store the kit in a dry room at a temperature from +5 to +40 °C without condensate, with the components lying horizontally in the storage box, protected from direct sunlight, vibration, mechanical shocks and aggressive substances; transport it horizontally in the original or a similar rigid package marked Fragile and This Side Up.
