4 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science
there is no absorption, so the light will continue bouncing forever.
But, light is only visible if something absorbs the light or interacts with it, such as an eyeball or a camera that can detect the light, right? So in a room where light is bouncing forever, wouldn't the room be dark until the light is detected, at which point the light would start to diminish? (because the eye or sensor has absorbed whatever light it's seeing)
Comment by gnex30 at 07/12/2023 at 17:58 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
this is sort of a semantic question, like the zen koan about trees falling in the woods. The electromagnetic radiation trapped inside cannot be detected directly without absorbing some of it, but theoretically, given a nearly infinitesimally sensitive instrument, you could detect the increased mass or the increased internal pressure.