wot's the colour of a mirror?

Answer 1

What is "wot's"?

Answer 2

We usually use two colours: the reflective and the transmissive colour. Better said: the colour of the reflected light and the colour of the light that passed through the material.

The colour of a mirror is therefore white and black, respectively. But since glass is slightly blue, due to the UV-active OH strech-bond (just like water), should it be blue and black?

P.S. N.B. The material of the object never influences the description of the colour. A mirror therefore cannot have a "metal colour", only metallic properties.

Answer 3

Actually, the colour of a mirror is "clear". In fact, with today's manufacturing, it starts with a clear piece of glass, that is coated on the back side with aluminum or silver, that produces images by reflection. This method (an amalgam of tin and mercury was then used)came into widespread production in 16th century Venice. The chemical process of coating a glass surface with metallic silver was discovered by Justus von Liebig in 1835, which initialized the modern techniques of making mirrors. Today, mirrors are made by pouring a thin layer of molten aluminum or silver onto the back of a plate of glass in a vacuum. Obviously, coloured mirror is done with tinted molten aluminum.

I have had the opportunity to witness the process at a company in Toronto who produces a line "Molten Mirror" with some interesting effects.

Answer 4

it depends on 2 things.
1. the material that the mirror is made from
2. how reflective the mirror is.
a mirror that is 100% reflective (as used in lasers) would only have the colour of the reflected light ( if u want to get really technical and define coulor as what energys of light a substance absorbs then a 100% reflective mirror will have no colour)

Answer 5

Mirrors are colourless. Just the same colour as glass. The silver surface reflects all of the light so I suppose that you could say that mirrors are whatever colour the light shining on them is.

Answer 6

Mirrors are usually clear glass. Many years ago, the reflective material was silver nitrate. Now they use aluminum as it is almost as reflective and is a lot cheaper.

Answer 7

Silver. It is silver nitrate that starts as a liquid and is applied to the back of a flat of glass. Then as it dries it is worked into the small imperfections of the glass's surface and painted over to protect the silver nitrate from damage.

Answer 8

its perfectly flat glass with perfectly flat silver/foil on the back. the perfect mirror is made out of mercury (liquid metal)! it is used on a telescope in an observatory in america.

Answer 9

old mirrors have silver backing as in real silver which is why you get interesting tarnish marks. now a days it's artificial and it lasts longer, but it's still silver color

Answer 10

Perhaps, Grasshopper, the question is 'what colour is a mirror not?'

Answer 11

i think i heard that they put stuff called silvering behind glass to make a mirror. so i would say it's silver