7
The most important playing piece of the laser labyrinth is the starting figure
providing the laser beam. By pushing the button, inserted into one side wall of
the playing piece, the laser beam is engaged.
Another important playing piece is the target, which the laser beam has to hit. In
order to light up the target you have to arrange the other playing pieces, such as
beam splitters or mirrors, in a specific way onto the game board.
For more advanced players: The game will be more challenging with blockers inserted into the
hexagonal cells of the game board, as this type of playing piece prevents the placement of any
playing piece in that particular cell. Using these different playing pieces opens a big variety in
directing the laser through the labyrinth and to the target in the end. However, in this version of
the game blockers are not included.
The hexagonal form of the playing pieces make it even more challenging to direct the laser
beam. A good dose of brain power and an understanding of science are necessary in order to
hit the target. The law of reflection states that the angle of the incident ray hitting the mirror is
equal to the angle of reflection. Applied to a hexagon, a laser beam will always hit the hexagon’s
side perpendicularly. If this principle will be used cleverly, the mirror can be positioned in a way,
that the laser beam will pass through a specific side.
More specifically: with only two different mirror
positions the laser beam will be deflected on one of
the four sides. In figure 9 the incident ray enters the
hexagon through side 1 and depending on the
position of the mirror, passes through side 2 or 3. By
turning the playing piece it is possible to let the
beam pass through side 5 or 6. Without a reflection
of the mirror the beam would pass through side 4.
