Why Light on a Surface Looks Dimmer with Intense Light: Explained

  • Thread starter Thread starter adjacent
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Light Surface
AI Thread Summary
When a light is shone on a surface, it appears dimmer when another, more intense light is introduced due to the brain's perception of contrast. This phenomenon occurs because the brain adjusts its perception based on the relative brightness of the light sources present. The initial light's intensity is compared to the new, brighter light, leading to a diminished perception of the first light's brightness. The effect is rooted in how our visual system processes light and contrast in the environment. Understanding this can clarify why lighting conditions significantly influence our perception of brightness.
adjacent
Gold Member
Messages
1,552
Reaction score
62
Why does a light cast on a surface look dimmer when a much intense light is cast upon it?
 
Science news on Phys.org
Can you be a little more specific? Are you talking about the difference in intensity between a light source and the reflected light from a surface, or is there more than 1 light source?
 
I shined a light on a wall,for example.It looks OK.Then I shined another light on that wall exactly on that place.Now,the previous light looks more dim.Why?
 
That's the way your brain works. In some part, it bases the level of contrast off of the darkest and brightest areas in view.
 
  • Like
Likes 1 person

Thread 'Pentaprism with magnification, which surface is curved?'

I would like to use a pentaprism with some amount of magnification. The pentaprism will be used to reflect a real image at 90 degrees angle but I also want the reflected image to appear larger. The distance between the prism and the real image is about 70cm. The pentaprism has two reflecting sides (surfaces) with mirrored coating and two refracting sides. I understand that one of the four sides needs to be curved (spherical curvature) to achieve the magnification effect. But which of the...
View full post »

Similar threads

Light Reflection: Understand How Light Interacts with Materials
Replies
26
Views
5K
I Newton's rings at an oblique angle of incidence of light
Replies
1
Views
1K
12V DC Motor in Light Fixture with Dimmer & 12V DC to 110V AC Inverter
Replies
21
Views
2K
Optics question: Looking at mirrors from parallel to the surface
Replies
6
Views
2K
B Scattering of light inside a room
Replies
22
Views
3K
Destructive interference in Unpolarised light
Replies
4
Views
3K
180 degree phase shift of reflected light
Replies
2
Views
2K
I Why is there a sharp spike of blue light in my spectrometer readings?
Replies
9
Views
2K
On Rayleigh Scattering and UV Light Absorption
Replies
4
Views
8K
Transmission of blue light through ceramics and surface roughness effects
Replies
2
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top