Olympic flame just past my street

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The guys have come through my town today with the olympic torch. My nephew asked me if they really did light it from the sun.( with a big wow look on his face)
I explained that he could make a flame from the sun also. We went into town to buy a magnifying glass. There are no shops at all that sell them we could find. Apart from smiths for 11 pounds.(seemed expensive)
So I'm looking online now.
Just wondering if the little jeweler flip out case ones would be as good for magnifying the sun as the bigger 2 1/2 inch one with less magnification?




( hope this makes sense,sorry for my bad english)
 

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hi budd! :smile:

i believe they light it using a mirror, not a lens

you could try a shaving mirror :wink:​
 
I thought it might of sounded daft when i posted.
I know it was done by a mirror. just going to show him the power of the sun.
sorry for asking stupid question
 
no it wasn't daft!

but why go to the trouble of buying a lens, when you may already have, or be able to borrow, a mirror which is much larger? :smile:

(because it isn't the magnification that matters, it's the total light collected … so long, of course, as the mirror is actually capable of focussing)
 
You can buy plastic lenses for a pound or two in places like "pound shops" or "The Range".I have even seen them on sale in Tesco.
 
My family went to see the Olympic Torch Relay yesterday as it came passed the church my parents attend in Bury. It was actually quite a lot of fun with even the police motorcycle outriders joinng in the fun, slapping hands with the crowd as they rode passed. I'm afraid I have no idea who the guy was carrying the torch as it passed us, but still, it did feel worthwhile having gone to see it.