Brain Teasers
Infinite Mirrors
Science
Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.Science
You have two rectangular mirrors exactly the same size, on opposite walls of a corridor. Let's say they are perfectly flat, and in parallel. If you look into one, and see the reflection in the other, are you looking into a reflection of infinite length?
Answer
No, Your eyes are at the point where the reflection would appear infinite. No matter where you position yourself, the reflection of the two mirrors that you see will always be at an angle.Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
Apr 28, 2002
Is that really true? I'll have to try it out. :-)
Are you Cathal McCabe that I lived with last year?
Depends who you are and where you lived last year
Damien Kelly
I disagree. If you drill a hole exactly in the center of one and then stand behind it on the other side of the wall and look through the hole, you could conceivably look into infinity.
Eh chamber, if you drill a hole, then you can't get a reflection of the point from which you are looking at. Any reflection will be at a slight angle.
Disagree if you want, but it doesn't mean you are right
Disagree if you want, but it doesn't mean you are right
AND EVEN IF it was at no angle and you could see a reflection like that, you'd eventually see what was ther before the mirror was put on.
Ummm, Cath, the reflection you speak of is provided by the mirror on the other end of the corridor. YOu can look through the hole and see the other mirror reflecting the mirror you just drilled a hole in which, in turn, is reflecting the mirror at the other end of the corridor which is reflecting....blah. I'm right, admit it. I got the answer and you're jacked. I understand.
I don't know if I can be bothered answering you any more chamber. You just have to be right don't you? The whole point of this is you will only get this @perfect reflection at one point, and by its nature, you cannot position yourself in such a way as to see it. If you drill a hole in one mirror, you will see a reflection of you mirror with a hole drilled into it, and your eye staring out. The point where your eye is would be the precise point where the reflection would repeat, but because you have just drilled out that piece of mirror ....
How about two way mirror? Reflects on one side and is see through on the other. Then you wouldn't need to drill. Is it THEN theoretically possible that you could position yourself in the center from the other side and see infinity? No hole, no problem.
You obviously don't know how a "two way mirror" works anyway. Please get your facts right. Look it up. A “two way mirror” is actually a piece of glass with a fine spray of a mirror substance on one side. It does not cover the glass, in fact it only mirrors on average about half the surface of the glass, so from behind the mirror you can see throw tiny holes in the mirror surface. This type of glass is normally used when viewing into a very bright room from a very dark room. If you are staring at the mirror, there is not enough light for you to be able to see into the dark room, but in the dark room you could see into the bright room. This will be in effect the same as drilling a hole, (even though a small one, giving the same broken record argument about the angle of reflection not being perpendicular)
I do belive that is called a LASER.
Whats a laser??
I ment what do you mean by saying "thats called a laser"??
I don't follow.
I don't follow.
a laser is a normal mirror and a two-way mirror put together. The light bounces around untill it's enough to got through the two-way mirror.
oh i just realized mine comment somehow got above anotherone form the same day
I think I'm missing something here. If your eyes are at the position where the relection is infinite and you are looking through your eyes, as I presume you are, then the reflection has to be infinite.
Your eyes/head are blocking the parallel reflection
Aug 25, 2002
Chambers is right, A two way mirror would allow you to stand behind the relfective surface and not block the view.
Oct 03, 2002
Mogmatt: A mirror reflection is not time travel! You can't see a reflection of what didn't exist then!
A laser beam does not bounce around until it has enough light to get through the 2 way mirror.
the two way mirror lets through a certain % of light. It doesn't matter how little or how much light there is.
Your argument is wrong whether you use a laser as an analogy or not.
the two way mirror lets through a certain % of light. It doesn't matter how little or how much light there is.
Your argument is wrong whether you use a laser as an analogy or not.
I wonder. What if you WERE the mirror? What would happen now?????
I interpreted the question differently. Although the mirrors look like an infinite tunnel, the speed of light is finite so the light will only have formed a finite number of images. So no. But I gather that wasn't quite the idea.
However, on my interpretation, there is another factor: the images look darker and darker and at some point the "distant" image will return only one photon, then none, also making it finite. Or so I thought. Could someone verify or correct my science?
However, on my interpretation, there is another factor: the images look darker and darker and at some point the "distant" image will return only one photon, then none, also making it finite. Or so I thought. Could someone verify or correct my science?
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!