Day 3 – Counterfeit Detection
To celebrate National ScienceWeek in Australia, OpticsCentral is posting one experiment every day of this week. These experiments are suitable for kids and parents to take part in – they are fun, easy and cheap to set up and very interesting. Today, we will be talking about counterfeit detection and the mechanisms that are in place to protect the Australian currency. Thus, we will learn how to differentiate between real currency and counterfeit money!
The Australian currency
Australian currency is designed in a way to protect against counterfeiting. There are many security mechanisms in place to do so: some of which you can feel and some which you can see. With the help of a stereo microscope or a magnifying glass, we are able to distinguish even the tiniest of details and begin to think about how much thought has been placed into developing a counterfeit-proof currency. For example, look at the amount of detail you can find on a $5 note.
What are the security features in place?
According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, real currency has several security features in place that can be used to distinguish a real from a fake.
- Plastic – Notes are printed on plastic that have a distinct feel. When scrunched up, notes tend to spring back to their normal state. Also, they are harder to tear than normal paper.
- Star Hologram- A diamond image is printed on both sides of a note. While it looks quite strange on its own, if you hold the note up to the light, you should be able to see a seven-pointed star. This hologram can be used to determine whether a note is a counterfeit or real.
- Clear Window- A clear window can be found on all notes. To distinguish between real money and counterfeit, ensure that the clear window is a part of the bank note and not simply attached. You may also see a faint printing of the value of the note on it or an image.
- Clear Writing- Writing must be clear and sharp, be not smudged nor have any irregularities.
- Microprinting- On various parts of the Australian banknotes, there is microprinting. Microprinting is printing in a size very difficult to read without the help of a microscope or magnifying glass. Despite their tiny size, the writing is printed very finely with no flaws. The small and fine detailing is very difficult for criminals to copy and an excellent feature to look for when trying to distinguish a counterfeit. A counterfeit note may have flawed printing or not even have microprinting on it. For example, on the $5 note, FIVE DOLLARS is printed repeatedly on the top right corner of the note.
Now it’s your turn. Using some notes, look for all these features.
Materials
- A variety of different Australian notes (eg. $5, $10, $20)
- Magnifying glass or stereo microscope
The Experiment
- Feel the note in your hand and pay attention to the texture of it. Compare it to a sheet of paper.
- Look for the star hologram. When you point it up towards light, does it look like a seven pointed star?
- Look for the clear window. Is it attached to the note or a part of it? Does it have transparent numbers on it which corresponds to its value?
- Look at the writing – is there anything strange about it?
- Is there any microprinting? What does it say? Is there anything strange about it?
If you have any questions about what you have learned today, feel free to contact us through support@opticscentral.com.
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Photo credit (modified): vagawi via Visual hunt / CC BY