Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi guys..
So I did the infinite mirror for my science fair thats is due next week Monday but after I built everything and stuck them with glue the reflection was extremely weak like 2 lines only but I'll willing to fix it so please i need to know that's the problem for getting this weak reflection and I followed all of the steps
please it urgent ...

Just a question, how reflective is your one-way glass? If light can pass through it easily, it's likely that you're loosing the light that you want to be reflected. I suggest a less translucent glass. Hope this helps!
Sam Taylor

Do you mean by that to change the tint darkness that's on the glass??

Hi anaso1,

Two questions:

1. What type of LEDs are you using? Can you link to where you bought them?

2. Have you tried using the infinity mirror in a dark room? If you use it in a very bright room, the light from the LEDs in the mirror will be "drowned out" by the ambient light in the room, and you will not see very many reflections. If you try it in a dark room, you should see many more reflections. If you want to bring it as a demonstration for your science fair, you could try putting the whole thing inside a larger cardboard box (like a shoebox) to help block surrounding light, and let people peek into the shoebox to see the mirror.

-Ben

1.I'm using the led ' s that are grouped like a wire and they are connected with an adapter ..and I bought them from a light shop.

2 . I've tried it in a dark room I could only see 3 reflections and that's it ..
Guys it urgent please I need help

I would not worry too much - even if it is only showing a few reflections, you have still proved the concept for your science project. In general, there are three principles you can use to make an infinity mirror show more reflections:

1. Use brighter LEDs

2. Use the mirror in a darker room

3. Adjust the tinting of the front glass. If you bought really dark film (the kind used on car windows) instead of the mirror film used for home windows, that might cause the problem.

So, you already tried #2. For #1 - When you say the LEDs are connected with an adapter, do you mean they plug into a wall? Any chance you can go back to the light shop and ask them if they have brighter LEDs? For #3 - where did you get the window film? I have built many infinity mirrors with the kind listed on the Materials tab of the project, and it works very well:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H5 ... B000H5XTKG

1.yes plugged in the wall and yes I'll go back to the shop.

2.i went to a car shop and applied 50% tint on the glass

I'm really starting to feel desperate about this project because everyone's saying that they never faced this problem

1.I bought a glass and applied 50% tint film.
2.i went to the shop and detailed a one way mirror and a border
3.i stuck the glass in the border
4.i placed the led's on top of the glass.
5.i places the mirror
And that's it and I got a 3 reflection lines only
and here how the problem started

Ok I think #2 from your previous post is your problem. You want to use mirrored window film intended for HOME windows, not the kind from a car shop. The car film is very dark and designed to not let a lot of light through. It is not as shiny and "mirror" like as the house window film. You can order the right film from Amazon (see link in my previous post) or get it at a hardware store.

Well because my project is due 8 March which is after 3 days i cant order online but can you tell me where to buy a home film if you have any idea other than the normal car tints which are avilabile in "car shops"?

You should be able to get it at a hardware store like Lowe's or Home Depot.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_88148-74130-PRS ... Id=1103235

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gila-3-ft-x- ... /100196546

Go in to the store and tell them you need "mirrored window film" and someone working there should be able to help you.

It really worked thanks alooot bfinio for your work I really appreciate it thanks..

No problem! How many reflections are you getting now?

Around 12 reflections I used to have 3 reflections only but thanks for your help it worked better than before

Great to hear! I hope it goes well at the science fair.

Hello. Helping my son build one for school and I was wondering the following:

1) Using a tube with the mirror on one end and the reflective screen on the other. Is there is a limit to the distance between the two reflective pieces? Is 10"-12" too far apart?

2) I would like to use a number of LED's in the space between the two reflective surfaces. Will it work to have a scroll of LEDs or should it just be one line of them in the tube?

Thanks

Hi stuartg,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I think what you're proposing should work.

1) There is no hard limit on the distance between the pieces. In general I believe it will work better if the mirrors are closer together because less light will get absorbed by the sides of the container, but it depends on how bright the LEDs are and how dark the surrounding room is.

2) You should be able to use any number of LEDs in the tube. I think that could actually let you create some cool effects (for example you could use different color LEDs to create a repeating pattern in the mirror).