In this activity you will be making crystals, observing some special properties of crystals, and using microscopes with polarizers to observe birefringence in certain crystals. Crystals are found in many different shapes. Atoms come together in ways that determine the shape of certain crystals. Scientists can look at some crystals and know what substance they are observing. They can also discover many things about substances by studying crystal shapes.
Scientists use many tools to look at things like crystals.
One of those tools is a microscope. Although crystals are large compared to other things that scientists look at using a microscope, there are many things we can learn by observing crystals in different ways. You will look at the crystals that you make using your eyes, a compound light microscope, and polarizers. Each time you observe the crystals draw what you see. Follow your teacher's directions for making the crystals.