A Room of Infinite Reflection: How Bright Will It Get?

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    Infinite Reflection
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hypothetical scenario of a room with perfect reflectors and a constant light source, exploring how bright the room will become and the implications of heat generation within it. The scope includes conceptual reasoning and speculative outcomes regarding light behavior and thermal effects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the brightness of the room will not increase beyond the light emitted by the bulb, suggesting that the light is entirely reflected.
  • Others argue that while the brightness may not increase, the temperature in the room will rise significantly due to the absorption of light by the bulb, which will convert it to heat.
  • A participant humorously compares the scenario to being inside an Easy Bake Oven, emphasizing the heating effect.
  • One participant suggests that the final illumination of the room would be zero, claiming that the bulb will absorb all the light and eventually explode, leading to darkness.
  • Another participant questions the color of the mirrors, suggesting they would reflect the color of the light emitted by the bulb.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the final illumination of the room and the effects of heat. There is no consensus on whether the room will remain bright or become dark after the bulb absorbs the light.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the behavior of light and heat in a perfectly reflective environment remain unresolved, particularly regarding the long-term effects of the bulb's heat and the nature of light absorption.

vikasj007
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What if you are in a room and the walls, floor and ceiling are all perfect reflectors, and there's a light on in the middle of the room. How bright will it get in there?
 
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I believe it won't get any brighter, but *you* will eventually get pretty warm. You're the only thing in the room that will absorb the light and convert it to heat.
 
DaveC426913 said:
I believe it won't get any brighter, but *you* will eventually get pretty warm. You're the only thing in the room that will absorb the light and convert it to heat.

Sounds like standing on the inside of an Easy Bake Oven, doesn't it?
 
i think i had made a mistake while posting the question.

the corrected form of thie question is as follows-

there is a room in which all the walls and roof and floor are perfect reflectors, and a source of light , a bulb, is placed inside the room which is glowing constantly, what will be the final lumination of the room.



i am also going to change the question in the first post, so do note the change.
 
I don't know about light, but it will get pretty hot in there. Ever put tin foil over a lightbulb? (warning do not actually put tinfoil over a lightbulb unless you are prepared to risk blowing the socket and possibly starting a fire)
 
Answer to original:
They would be just as bright as the bulb emmitting the light.

Here's a question, what color will the mirrors be?


Answer:
They would be the color of the light emitting, white.
 
Last edited:
actally, the final illumination of the room would be, zero. the room will be filled with darkness.

as the light bulb emits light, it is completely reflected by the walls and the floor, the only thing which will absorb the light is the bulb. it will get very very hot and eventually explode. after that no more light will enter the room, and the exsisting light in the room will gradually be absorbed by the glass pieces which in turn will release it s heat energy.

so the temp. of the room wil increase, but it will be filled with complete darkness.
 

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