Camera Phone + $3 of Hardware + Free Software = Spectrometer

In High School Chem Labs, Every Cameraphone Can Be a Spectrometer

Chemistry Professor Alexander Scheeline at the Univerity of Illinois wrote software that analyzes ordinary JPEG photos like the ones produced by camera phones. The student needs a bit of additional hardware like a single LED, 3V battery, diffraction gratings and cuvettes. But, equipment is said to cost less than $3 per student.

Can you analyze me now? Cell phones bring spectroscopy to the classroom

The software is available through the Analytical Science Digital Library.