How to Make a Hologram Prism

At the start of Covid, I made a Hologram Prism out of materials I had around the house. It worked great, and it was really cool, so now I am going to show you how to make one as well.

Note: For some reason, it is really hard to take photos of the prism. I spent a while, but even the best photos are blurry. It looks way better in real life.

The Hologram Prism is super cheap and can be made with materials lying around the house.

To make a Hologram Prism, you will need the following supplies:

• Plastic Container
• Scissors
• Tape
• Ruler / Measuring Tape
• Sharpie
• Paper

For the plastic container, I used a disposable clear plastic takeout container, but anything that is thin clear plastic will work.

The scissors just need to be able to cut the plastic container.

I used clear Scotch Tape, but packaging tape will work as well, or any clear tape.

You need a ruler or measuring tape to measure the dimensions.

You will need a Sharpie or any colored marker to draw out the pattern and draw out the shape on the plastic.

You will need paper to make the pattern that you use to cut out the right size of plastic. Any type of paper will work.

This instructable will be split into two parts, Build and Explain. In the Build section, I will tell you how to make a Hologram Prism. In the Explain section, I will tell you how your Prism works.

Each section also has some subsections:

• Build
  • Cut Out
  • Assemble
  • Use
• Explain
  • How it Works

With that said, let's get started!

The Prism is a rectangular prism with a cut-off top.

The dimensions are:

Height = 1.5 inches

Top Width = 2 inches

Bottom Width = .5 inches.

See the photos above for what I mean.

You will need to make a paper pattern with these dimensions, then trace out four quadrilaterals and cut them out.

Once you have done that, all you need to do is assemble it.

Take a strip of Scotch Tape a little shorter than the sides of the quadrilaterals you cut out and cut it in half lengthwise. Then, use that to tape two of the quadrilaterals together. Do this until all four quadrilaterals are connected, and than fold it into a prism and tape the last two edges together.

See photos above for what I mean.

That's it! Your Hologram Prism is finished, and now you can use it!

Now, you can't just play any video. The videos need to have four copies, all pointing towards the center. Just google "hologram prism video" and select a video. Make it fullscreen and turn the screen sideways, then put the prism in the center, with the smaller opening on the bottom. I like this video, as it is long and has a lot of different things to watch, from hummingbirds to fireworks.

Awesome! But how does it work?

As you can see in the photo above, the light from the mini video bounces off the sides of the plastic prism and hits your eye. This makes it look like the light comes from the plastic, as the plastic acts like a mirror. However, since the plastic is clear, it seems like the light comes from the center of the Prism. There are four mini videos, one for each side of the Prism, so it looks the same on each side.

The "Hologram" is created by the videos' reflections on the plastic sides of the prism. It looks really cool and you can use it to amaze your friends and amuse your family.

I hope you enjoyed this instructable. Good luck making your own Prism!