If you had 2 way mirrors facing inwards in a cube and then you shone atorch in, would the light just bounce round inside? Then you could take it to a dark room and open it and it would be light?
2007-12-31 12:38:57 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Even the best mirrors of today are not perfect. Every reflection absorbs a small portion of the photons. With the speed of light at 3 * 10^8 m/s, a cube 1m on a side, the light would have 3 * 10^8 reflections every second. A mirror that was 99.99% reflective (absorbing only .01% on any single reflection) would absorb all the light in a small fraction of a second.
Even if you had perfect mirrors in the box, when you opened it in the dark room, anything in the room that was not a perfectly reflective mirror would absorb the light again very quickly.
2007-12-31 12:52:21 · answer #1 · answered by DogmaBites 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The mirrors would have to be perfectly reflective. If they weren't the light would quickly be absorbed by the mirrors. Ideal mirrors like these don't exist.
If you found perfect mirrors and trapped some light inside, then released it, the dark room would be partially illuminated for a nanosecond or so. Then the light would be absorbed by the walls, and it would be dark again.
You need a continuous light source to light a room.
2007-12-31 21:00:01 · answer #2 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Simple answer: No.
2 way mirror - em, that's clear...you mean 1 way glass?
Regardless of one way, two way or just normal mirrors - the mirror only reflects at best 99.9999% of the light that hits the surface - that tiny loss results in what appears as an instant loss of light (as it's bouncing back losing energy all the time at 299,792,458 metres per second.
So no, you can't - not even in theory with perfect mirrors as the photons impacting the surface MUST lose some energy.
2007-12-31 20:56:35 · answer #3 · answered by creviazuk 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would be like...magic...once you opened the box...it would disappear.
Kool, eh...........
2007-12-31 20:55:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, if you can see inside, that means light is shining out and into your eye, which will let you see. So if you can see the light, it won't be contained within the box.
Now if you had 3-D hologram technology....
2007-12-31 20:48:09 · answer #5 · answered by Amin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
actually it would work if the box was made of glass on the 4 sides and the top and bottom was dark and u used like a laser
2007-12-31 20:43:59 · answer #6 · answered by Heavy Metal 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I thought the point of physics was experimentation! Try it and tell us!
2007-12-31 20:43:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋