Mirror on the Wall: Light & Reflections

[HardDay'sNight]

If two planes of mirrors (infinite in all directions) were facing each other with nothing in between what would they reflect? How does light come into play in this?

 

[cristo]

If they were truly infinite in all directions, then the only light between them would be that which was "trapped" when they came into existence.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Answer (whited out)

As there is nothing in between, there is nothing for them to reflect.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

This question is odd, since it is a brain teaser I instinctively thought that there had to be something more to it... but I just can't see what the something could possibly be :/

 

[Alkatran]

How hot are the mirrors?

 

[davee123]

This doesn't seem like a brain teaser to me. It sounds like an optics question. And a pretty basic one at that.

Mirrors will reflect a certain degree of whatever light is shone at them. So, if there's no light, they'll reflect nothing. If there is light, they'll reflect that light. Depending on the mirror's material, they may not reflect various wavelengths of light (like, say, X-rays or radio waves), but they should certainly reflect most visible light. Eventually, the light will also dissipate, such that nothing as reflected, as each subsequent reflection will decrease the intensity of the light by a certain amount. The amount of dissipation probably depends on the material being used for reflection (usually aluminum in common mirrors), and the specific wavelength of the light. And possibly other factors like ambient temperature, pressure, glass covering, material purity, etc.

DaveE

 

[rootX]

But there must be an observer.

 

[Couperin]

But there must be an observer.

There must also be a glass of milk!