We thought about what a room of only mirrors would look like, so we engaged our imagination and did some research on it. And we have compiled this comprehensive post to explain in detail what you would see in a room of only mirrors. If you want to know what a room of just mirrors would look like, read along as we explain. The answers are mind-blowing.
What does a room of only mirrors look like? If the room is empty, you won’t see anything because there’s nothing to see. If there’s no light, you won’t see anything because the eyes can’t create visual perceptions without light. But when there is light, the mirrors will reflect the light multiple times in different directions, giving the impression of an infinity space. The mirrors will also reflect the observer. However, the images and light will become progressively smaller, farther, and dimmer.
As you can see, we can examine a room of only mirrors from different perspectives. More so, the explanations we gave above are just brief answers. In the sections that follow, we will present more detailed answers to this question. Keep reading to learn more.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
What Will You See in an Empty Room of Mirrors?
An empty room of mirrors suggests that there is no light source or anything else in the room. In such a case, the mirrors have nothing to reflect on, so if you get any chance to see inside the room, you won’t see anything at all. Aside from having nothing to reflect on, the absence of light in the room means even if there is anything in the room, you will not be able to see it. This is because your eyes need light to form visual perceptions.
When there is no light anywhere, what you will see is stark darkness, and nothing else. Light is like the game-changer. Even if there is anything in the room, so long there is no light in the room, you would not be able to see any of the objects in it.
In the case of an empty room of mirrors, there are two problems. Firstly, there is no light in the room, and secondly, there are no objects in the room. So then, there is nothing to see and there is no means to see anything. Even if there is an observer in the room, nothing will be seen so long as there is neither a light source nor any object to see.
The simple way to put it is this; if there is nothing in the room, there is nothing for the observer to see. And if there is no light in the room, there is no way the observer can see anything. An empty room of mirrors will look like a vacuum of nothingness.
How Would a Room Full of Mirrors Look When There is Light?
If there is a light source in a room full of mirrors and nothing else but the light, you will see reflections of the light from the mirrors. The light source would reflect from the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room. The light reflections will be in all directions and bounce off the mirrors several times while being gradually absorbed until it disappears.
But then, to see how the room of mirrors will look like when there’s a light source, there must be an observer in the room. The observer could be you or any device that can capture images. If there’s also an observer in the room, you will be seeing a vast dark space with infinite images of the light and the observer. Both the light source and the observer will get dimmer, smaller, and look farther away with each successive reflection.
Why Do the Reflections in a Room of Mirrors Get Dimmer?
Mirrors only reflect light and images, they don’t create it. More so, when light photons bounce on a mirror, the mirror would absorb some light photons before reflecting the light. So then, no mirror has 100% reflectance, and so light and images get dimmer with each reflection.
Let’s assume that the reflectance of a mirror for visible light is about 90 percent. This means that each light reflection from the mirror will have 90% of the original light intensity. And each successive reflection will also have 90% of the intensity of the previous. So then, the light reflections become dimmer as their intensity reduces exponentially with each successive mirror reflection.
What’s more, objects also absorb light photons. So if there is any observer in the room, the observer will also absorb some light photons. This also could contribute to mirror reflections getting progressively dimmer.
Why Do the Reflections in a Room of Mirrors Get Farther Away?
The reflections in a room of mirrors recede and get farther away because the images and light traverse the distance. Imagine that the distance between two mirrors facing each other is 2cm and you place a light source halfway between them. The light will travel 1cm to hit the mirror in front and its reflection would travel 1cm to the mirror at the back. The reflected image will then travel 2cm to and through the mirror in front to make a total 3cm distance. Thus, successive reflections will appear farther and farther. You can also check out this article that we have written about what happens when you stare at a mirror for too long. We have shared an in-depth discussion about the topic.
Why Do the Reflections in a Room of Mirrors Get Smaller?
Images usually get smaller when you look at them from a farther distance. So then, as the reflections from a mirror appear farther, looking at them from a farther distance will make them appear smaller too. This is the same effect you notice when you move farther away from someone. In physics, this phenomenon is called the “angular size of an image”.
✅ Video – Mirror Room Denmark
If you can make your way to Denmark, there is a room there made of only mirrors. It would be pretty cool to see the room live. But Steve took a camera into the room and shot a video of the mirror room. Watch the video below to see how it looks.
Room of Mirrors Physics
According to physics, what you’ll see in a room of mirrors with no light is stark darkness. But in a room of mirrors with light, you will see an even blur of the color and intensity of the light source. This is because the mirrors would spread the light all around the room as light bouncing all over from one mirror to the others.
A room of only mirrors will not only absorb and reflect photons, but the mirrors will also scatter the photons in several directions. This would create inelastic collisions and the wavelength of the photons will become longer with every successive scattering. In the long run, the photons would degrade into the infrared spectrum and would no longer be visible.
Related Questions
What Does a Mirror Look Like?
What distinguishes a mirror is its highly reflective surface. This surface almost perfectly reflects any light lay or image that hits it. But then, many researchers have said the real color of most mirrors’ reflective surface is green, even though human eyes do not perceive it as such.
Mirrors reflect all colors in the visible spectrum, but they seem to reflect color green more than all other colors. To confirm this, place two mirrors against each other and look at the images that appear in them. What you’ll see is green color, meaning that green is the only color that remains after all other colors have completely diminished from several mirror reflections. It is, therefore, the color of the mirror. You can also check out this article that we have written that discusses what are mirrors made of for more tips and information.
Do Mirrors Make a Room Look Brighter?
You can make your room look brighter by using mirrors. Even if all you’ve got is a small window and there’s no other light source, simply place one mirror opposite the window. The mirror will increase how much natural light and brightness your room will have. The same works if you strategically place a mirror in a room lighted with a bulb.
Mirrors can harness any kind of light, but bigger mirrors enhance light better than smaller ones. Not only do mirrors enhance light, but they also make the room more uniformly illuminated. You can also check out this article that talks about why some mirrors make you look better than others.
Which is More Accurate, Mirror or Photo?
Between mirrors and photos, mirrors are the more accurate options. But then, different kinds of mirrors have varying degrees of accuracy. To get accurate images, you would need a flat and plane mirror. Anything other than that will not give you perfectly accurate images. We have also written this article titled, do I look like the mirror or camera? You can check out the article for an in-depth discussion about the topic.
Conclusion
A room of only mirrors, without any light source or gaps that allow light to come in, will not be perceptible. This means that if by any chance you get to peep into the room, you will see absolutely nothing – just darkness. But if there is a light source, the mirrors will reflect the light and create several images of it. If you put an observer in the room, the mirrors will also reflect the observer’s images and create several images of the observer too. And since the mirrors make up all the walls, floor, and roof of the room, the repeated images will be reflected in all directions.