If you had a hollow sphere that was perfectly reflective on the inside, and completely inescapable (ie, nothing can escape the interior - this being due to a perfect seal, not because of gravity), and you had a means to turn on and off a light source inside the sphere, and you have a way of observing what happens inside the sphere, what happens when you turn on the light, and then turn it off? Is light forever present in the sphere? And what if we make the assumption that none of the light is lost as heat? Does turning on the light source for longer periods of time add "more" light to the inside - how could this quantity be measured?
2007-07-03 09:41:48 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
You get light when it is turned on and darkness when the light is turned off.
The light is a stream of photons. So as long as it the light source is on the light stream will illuminate the inside and reflect all around. When you turn the light off the stream of photons will stop and so the light will go out.
Photons don't flow in a stream; photons act like waves, but are actually particles. Photons are unique particles that don't obey all the laws. According to the laws of physics you can't create or destroy anything, you only change its form. When you turn on the light you are turning electrical energy into light, or using some similar operation.
The photons are there and they exist, but they move at random. They don't have any sense of direction or goal to reach. The light source gives them this direction and goal, to reach the other side and eventually to reach your light. So if you object if perfect and the photons can't escape then you will be creating photons when the light is on and observing them, but when the light is off the photons will no longer be in a stream and will move randomly. They won't go to your eye (or the camera's lens) in an organized fashion that we know as a light beam.
2007-07-03 09:49:51 · answer #1 · answered by Dan S 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Having a light source in the perfectly reflective sphere would ruin the perfect sphere. Having a way to measure the light would ruin the perfect reflectivity
2007-07-03 11:12:42 · answer #2 · answered by beren 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
THAT.....is an excellent question. If light can travel for billions of years from a star to reach our eyes, that means the light does not end when there is no more source. It either has to be absorbed or reflected.
So in a perfect internal orb with perfect reflection and a light source and no other variables, in other words, a perfect environment for light, you'd think light would remain, if the light was turned off.
Hmmm.....
OH! Here's a concept. There is evidence that light is a particle of sorts. Would light cause the loss of energy by reflecting back through itself so many times due to the light energy particles creating a sort of friction against itself? If light lost any of its speed, would it be light?
2007-07-03 09:55:07 · answer #3 · answered by Staveros 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
So i guess your asking if you pulse a light (or laser) in a hollow sphere with a reflective inner coating would the light remain there bouncing around forever? No it will not. Because like the other guy said the coatings are not "ideal" and there will always be some loss associated with the reflection.
2016-05-17 10:18:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a physicist, but the logical conclusion would be that it is gradually converted into heat and escapes via the heating, then cooling, of the sphere.
If there was some way to infinitely prevent the conversion of the light to heat, then the light would stay there infinitely and you would have a bright sphere of light.
2007-07-03 09:45:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Is the source of light, the filament, also perfectly reflective?
How will you observe the interior?
Isn't there a law (of thermodynamics) which states that "where there is light there is heat"?
Since this scenario is impossible isn't this a philosophy question?
2007-07-03 10:57:28 · answer #6 · answered by farwallronny 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the quantity of the light is the same. and when the source of the light is stopped the light inside the sphere will disappear. you can only measure light by energy
2007-07-03 09:44:47 · answer #7 · answered by Jimmy L 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
in order to have light inside a perfectly reflective sphere you would need an imperfection. in other-words . Not possible
2007-07-03 09:46:36 · answer #8 · answered by Dragonskeeper 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
nice question!
i guess light would bounce around forever in the sphere... you could measure with a photometer inside.... wow... that would be cool
cheers!
2007-07-03 09:45:20 · answer #9 · answered by michael 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well it would be impossible to observe because if you could see it, then its escaping. I would say it would be forever present but you would never know because you could never observe it.
And once you did it escaped.
2007-07-03 09:46:14 · answer #10 · answered by financing_loans 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋