Currency

Ultraviolet light is used to detect counterfeit bank notes in many of the currencies of the world. Genuine notes contain markings that are invisible under everyday white lighting conditions but when viewed under ultraviolet light, a variety of symbols and patternations are revealed. In the United Kingdom, bank notes have their particular denominations signified in inks that become visible under ultraviolet light. For example, a ten-pound note reveals a glowing 10 and a twenty-pound note contains a fluorescent 20.