Phosphoroscope

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A phosphoroscope is piece of experimental equipment devised in 1857 by physicist A. E. Becquerel to measure how long it takes a phosphorescent material to stop glowing after it has been excited.^[1]

It consists of two rotating disks with holes in them. The holes are placed on each disk at equal angled radial lines and a given distance from the centre but they do not align with each other. A sample of phosphorescent material is placed in between the two disks. Light coming in through a hole in one of the discs excites the phosphorescent material which then emits light for a short amount of time. The disks are then rotated and by changing their speed the length of time the material glows can be determined.