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RE: [T3] Polishing?


Well, I figure shinyness is really just a measure of how much light is
reflected, or at least reflected back at the viewer.  By making a surface
smooth, all light is reflected, smoothly and uniform, into the viewers eye.

A rough surface would tend to disperse the light rays, meaning fewer would
find their way into the eye of the viewer, let alone effectively reflect an
image. 

if you put an apple next to mirror, the light reflected off of the apple
(Funny-  in 'reality' an apple is every color BUT red-  all other colors are
absorbed.  But a red apple in a blue light-  it will be black because there
will be no red wavelengths in the light) ..anyway, the reflected light will
hit the mirror, be deflected a angle you can figure out with some pencil
time, and enter your eye.  Since the rays from the top hit the mirror and
are reflected the same angle, the whole apple appears reflected and
undistorted.  Now bend the mirror-  some of the angles are skewed and so it
looks distorted.

Make a cone out of the mirror.  make it bumpy.  Now figure you did that on a
micropscopic fractal level .  Now you can't make out anything, just a dull
glow - you just amde a rough surface.

Now get a fine sandpaper and start sanding..... all of those bumps become
uniform, smoooth smooth smooth.  Its reflective again. Less light is
reflected away from your eyes and more is reflected in a nice, sensible,
straightforward way.  

Even mirrors are imperfect- in fact, normal mirrors reflect only about 75%
of the ää¹Ù.  They make better ones, but they are horrible fragile (look
at first surface mirror in a glass shop)... remember the hubble? 

-rj  

Wow.  Majoring in theatrical lighting design in colledge DID come in
usefull....
> ----------
> From: 	Thomas Mogombus[SMTP:mogombus@wolfenet.com]
> Sent: 	Monday, June 07, 1999 1:23 PM
> To: 	Type 3 List
> Subject: 	Re: [T3] Polishing?
> 
> "Latherow, Robert" wrote:
> 
> > Reducing the total surface area.... :)
> 
> Hey now, I'm not as stupid as I look... I've got that much covered so far!
> 
> How does 'reducing the total surface area' make a metal surface shiny?
> 
> Tom Mogombus
> 
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