What does iceland spar mean?

Definitions for iceland spar
ice·land spar

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word iceland spar.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Iceland sparnoun

    a transparent calcite found in Iceland and used in polarizing microscopes

Wiktionary

  1. Iceland sparnoun

    A transparent form of calcite, used to demonstrate the polarisation of light.

Wikipedia

  1. Iceland spar

    Iceland spar, formerly called Iceland crystal (Icelandic: silfurberg [ˈsɪlvʏrˌpɛrk], lit. 'silver-rock') and also called optical calcite, is a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, originally brought from Iceland, and used in demonstrating the polarization of light (see polarimetry). It occurs in large readily cleavable crystals, is easily divisible into parallelepipeds, and is remarkable for its birefringence. This means that the refractive index of the crystal is different for light of different polarization. A ray of unpolarized light passing through the crystal is divided into two rays of perpendicular polarization directed at different angles. This double refraction causes objects seen through the crystal to appear doubled. Historically, the double-refraction property of this crystal was important to understanding the nature of light as a wave. This was studied at length by Christiaan Huygens and Isaac Newton. Sir George Stokes also studied the phenomenon. Its complete explanation in terms of light polarization was published by Augustin-Jean Fresnel in the 1820s.Mines producing Iceland spar include many mines producing related calcite and aragonite as well as those famously in Iceland, productively in the greater Sonoran Desert region as in Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico and New Mexico, United States, as well as in China. The clearest specimens, as well as the largest, have been from the Helgustadir mine in Iceland.

ChatGPT

  1. iceland spar

    Iceland Spar is a transparent and colorless variety of calcite (a type of calcium carbonate), which is a common mineral. It is known for its property of double refraction, which means that light entering the crystal is split into two beams that travel in different paths and at different speeds, causing objects viewed through the crystal to appear as double images. This optical property is utilized in various optical instruments. The name "Iceland Spar" originates from Helgustadir in Iceland, where large deposits were found in the 17th century.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Iceland spar

    a transparent variety of calcite, the best of which is obtained in Iceland. It is used for the prisms of the polariscope, because of its strong double refraction. Cf. Calcite

Wikidata

  1. Iceland spar

    Iceland spar, formerly known as Iceland crystal, is a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, originally brought from Iceland, and used in demonstrating the polarization of light. It occurs in large readily cleavable crystals, easily divisible into rhombs, and is remarkable for its double refraction. Historically, the phenomena of this crystal were studied at length by Christiaan Huygens and Isaac Newton. Sir George Stokes also studied the phenomenon. Mines producing Iceland spar include many mines producing related calcite and aragonite as well as those famously in Iceland, productively in the greater Sonoran desert region as in Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico and New Mexico, United States, as well as in the People's Republic of China.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of iceland spar in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of iceland spar in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

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"iceland spar." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/iceland+spar>.

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