If you place a cigarrette box, matchbox whatever on the surface of a mirror, a square one is preferable, so that it runs along the one side it will reflect what is visible in the mirror. If your packet is along the edge you will see three sides reflected.
If you lift one end of the box/packet up so that it is at 45 degrees to the mirror you will see as you lift it the bottom becomes reflected as well.
So to recap, you now have a mirror on the table, a box resting along its one side and elevated to 45 degrees.
The end of the box has now dissapeared from view in the reflection because at 45 degrees the edge of the box is stopping the reflection.
Holding the box steady move the mirror round, you will find that by looking at the mirror from a low angle the end will come into view again.
Reflections cannot bend unless 2 mirrors are used, so how come you can see this end while it is being blocked by the elevated edge of the box ?
2007-06-17 13:09:38 · 4 answers · asked by FMAACMSkipppy 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Concider that the box is standing on end the top would then be parrallel to the bottom.
As you slowly tilt it down to 45 degrees the top still remains hidden from the mirror by the leading edged.
A reflection off the mirror should not show the end of the box as it is all lies behind that leading edge.
2007-06-17 23:46:38 · update #1
The end of the box will be visible as long as the angle is smaller then 90 degrees - if the mirror is big enough.
I don't know where you get the 45 degrees from. Of course it's still visible at more then 45 degrees. Think about it. It has nothing to do with bending.
2007-06-17 13:31:08 · answer #1 · answered by Voice of Insanity 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The closer you get to sighting along the mirror plane, the more closely the real and reflected images will approach symmetry. This is simple geometry; you essentially have two boxes at 90 degrees to each other and you are viewing them along, or very near to, the bisecting (45 deg) plane.
2007-06-17 16:10:30 · answer #2 · answered by kirchwey 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe refraction took place.This happened because of
the light rays moving through different media(ie air and glass)
of different weight.But this will only happen when there is a presence of a substance like tiny drops of water on the mirror.
2007-06-17 13:34:30 · answer #3 · answered by Psygnosis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
huh??
2007-06-17 13:17:22 · answer #4 · answered by yup... 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋