How does observing an object change the object.?

Question

How does the absorbtion, by an eye, of reflected light from an object change that object?

Answer 1

Viewing an object does not change the object. To understand why let's discuss the science behind vision.

Without light, there would be no sight. The visual ability of humans and other animals is the result of the complex interaction of light, eyes and brain. We are able to see because light from an object can move through space and reach our eyes. Once light reaches our eyes, signals are sent to our brain, and our brain deciphers the information in order to detect the appearance, location and movement of the objects we are sighting at. Our receiving the reflected light off of an object does not change the object.

If you were to turn off the room lights for a moment and then cover all the windows with black construction paper to prevent any entry of light into the room, then you would notice that nothing in the room would be visible. There would be objects present that were capable of being seen. There would be eyes present which would be capable of detecting light from those objects. There would be a brain present which would be capable of deciphering the information sent to it. But there would be no light! The room and everything in it would look black. The appearance of black is merely a sign of the absence of light. When a room full of objects (or a table, a shirt or a sky) looks black, then the objects are not generating nor reflecting light to your eyes. And without light, there would be no sight.

The objects which we see can be placed into one of two categories: luminous objects and illuminated objects. Luminous objects are objects which generate their own light. Illuminated objects are objects which are capable of reflecting light to our eyes. The sun is an example of a luminous object, while the moon is an illuminated object. During the day, the nuclear reactions on the sun's surface generate sufficient light to illuminate objects on Earth. The blue skies, the white clouds, the green grass, the colored leaves of fall, the neighbor's house, and the car approaching the intersection are all seen as a result of light from the sun (the luminous object) reflecting off the illuminated objects and traveling to our eyes. Without the light from the luminous objects, these illuminated objects would not be seen. During the evening when the Earth has rotated to a position where the light from the sun can no longer reach our part of the Earth (due to its inability to bend around the spherical shape of the Earth), objects on Earth appear black (or at least so dark that we could say they are nearly black). In the absence of a porch light or a street light, the neighbor's house can no longer be seen; the grass is no longer green, but rather black; the leaves on the trees are dark; and were it not for the headlights of the car, it would not be seen approaching the intersection. Without luminous objects generating light which propagates through space to illuminate non-luminous objects, those non-luminous objects cannot bee seen. Without light, there would be no sight.

None of us are light-generating objects. We are not brilliant objects (please take no offense) like the sun; rather, we are illuminated objects like the moon. We make our presence visibly known by reflecting light to the eyes of those who look our way. It is only by reflection that we, as well as most of the other objects in our physical world, can be seen.

Answer 2

Purely examining this statement using Physics, we can refer to the theory popularized by Niels Bohr. Bohr believed that observing an object with an electron microscope would disrupt the particles of the object being observed. Here is another quote from Bohr on the topic related to sociologists:

"Studying the primitive tribes the ethnographer is not only aware of the dangerous interruption he can cause to the culture through his touch upon it. He is also very often himself on his own body feeling how deeply his own way of life, his philosophy and mind can be changed through such studies. Especially I am thinking of the well known observation among explorers, that prejudgments they were not even aware of before could be shaked deeply through the harmony human life creates, even under habits and traditions quite different from their own ones".

From a psychological perspective you could consider this explanation:
In many ways, all we have is our perception of an object and our interpretation of that perception. When we observe any object, we are applying our own interpretation of the object to that object. We record in our memory, not what the object is, but what we understand the object to be based upon our perception. Any time that we observe that same object in the future, we will percieve it with a biased eye. In that way, the object that we observed has been changed.

If we speak to others of the object, we will also be affecting their future perceptions of the object, and so, we are changing not only our perception of the object, but the perception of a group, and perhaps, if we extrapolate, a crowd, or even a society.

From a religious or spiritual perspective we could say:
When we observe a thing, that thing becomes part of us, and we become part of it. Sentient or not, there is a spiritual connections between all things in this world. Observing an object increases the stregnth of the spiritual connection between the observer and the observed. Both are forever changed after the encounter as each now carries the spiritual knowledge or imprint of the other.

I hope this information is helpful!

Answer 3

On a macroscopic level it doesn't. This statement applies mainly to atomic and subatomic particles, which can't be seen by the eye. In order to detect them we have to bombard them with electrons or other subatomic particles. This can't be done without changing the observed particle in some way. Either the mass is changed by absorbing the detector particles, or the speed and direction is changed, or some other property of the observed particle is changed.
On the macroscopic level we can observe something by looking at the reflected light rays or photons. But to a scientist, "observe" means more than that. It means to measure something. To measure something you have to touch it, and if you touch it you change it in some small way. The smaller the object is, the more significant the change. For example, to take any measurements of a bug, you probably have to kill it first.

Answer 4

It's not the "observation" so much as the "measurement." In order to measure, for example, the position of some object, you need to interact with the object. For example, you need to do something like shine a light on it. But the act of shining the light causes its position to change by a very tiny amount.

Heisenberg said that objects have certain properties that act in pairs, in such a way that whenever you try to measure one of the properties precisely, you inevitably increase the incertainty in the other one. One such pair of properties is "position" and "momentum". Any measurement you make to determine an object's position exactly, will disturb its momentum, and vice versa. Heisenburg actually came up with a mathematical limit on the precision with which you can know these two values simultaneously.

The example of disturbing a particle by hitting it with a photon is a common example; but the limitation is fundamental and does not depend on the method you choose to make the measurement.

Answer 5

It is not the seeing of the object that changes the object.

When you look at something; you send energy to the object.

this energy has been called by dozens of names such as akasha, ch'i, itaki, ki, mana, manitou, nuwati, orgone, etc.

Providing that you can still the mind and focus on that object for long enough, you can cause massive changes to the object. This is how martial artists break huge slabs of ice, 8 or more cinder blocks, etc when physics says they should have broken their hand instead.

Answer 6

I don't know if it can. The object is just reflecting light that goes out into the cosmos. Whether the reflected light is absorbed or not absorbed has no effect on the object itself. Whether no one or 16 billion people view that object, it isn't going to fundamentally change it. Weird but interesting question.

Answer 7

In essence, when you look at something, your eyes are receiving the photons bouncing off of it. This bouncing off of by the photons can effect the particle (object) you are looking at.

This is because when viewing subatomic particles, you need light with a very small wavelength aimed directly at it. Once this photon of light hits the particle, it basically shoots the particle around liek a billiard ball.

Answer 8

I intend to observe all my 1 dollar bills.Maybe they'll change to 100's.

Answer 9

Read up on "Schroedinger's cat" paradox.