Could a laser-like beam of light be refracted by another, and change the angle of the beam?
144703
No, one of the defining properties of a photon is that two or more are capable of simulatenously existing at the same co-ordinates. As such they can't possibly intercept each other or cause refraction since that requires either that they bounce of one another or else slow one another down. Neither is possible if they are to continue being capable of coexiting at the same location.\n\nPhotons can certainly interfere with each other, but only to the extent of increasing or decreasing amplitude, not wavelength or direction. At best you could theoretically reduce the amplitude of one source to zero, thus making it cease to exist, or alternatively boost the amplitude for a stronger signal.
1164254
well the hotter air creates a different air density to that of the air higher up, so the light bends as it hits this different density air, it bends because it hits it at an angle and slows down/speeds up at different rates, it is refraction but in the air. And because the air is constantly moving it makes it look wavey.
1002470
i would think the light would reflect with more of a wave length...but that is just a guess...kinda like a magnifing glass...\n\nNice to see you've corrected the spelling mistake in your 'nickname'\nLAST TIME I EXPLAIN MYSELF...WHEN I FIRST WROTE MY NICK NAME IT WAS FOR THE NEWS DISSCUSSION BOARDS....I TRIED SPELLING IT proudcaucasian FIRST BUT IT WAS ALREADY TOOK...SO I WENT WITH proudcaucasiOn!!!   i didnt think i would run into any dumbass who thought they were the grammer police and couldnt figure out what it meant...just goes to show you how many idiots are here in y!answers...  got it now tomika???   hope so cause i wont explain it ever again!!!   loooooooser
648609
No. Light shining through air is invisible. It has a brightness of 0 candlepower. If you double that you still have a brightness of 0 candlepower.\n\nA beam of light only has a brightness if it strikes the eye directly, or reflects off something into the eye. Since light cannot reflect off air it can't be seen and has zero brightness.\n\nIf there is smoke, dust or some other particulate matter suspended in the air that will reflect light then you can see the general path of the light beam. Whether the intersection of such paths will be brighter or not depend on what the particles are and where the observer is located.
843731
there is an optical effect like this ( it is just a refraction at an interface - like water and air ) and sorry i can't remember either ( i will search tho )\n\ncool i searched the term ATMOSPHERIC REFRACTION and guess what LOL( go to Wikipedia )
1136420
I think about the refraction of light.
977539
On the contrary, a light beam would merely percieve that it travelled instantly inbetween origin and destination. Space would be warped to Zero distance in the direction of travel, not Zero space. I know it seems like a sleight-of-hand trick with the mathematics, but the distinction is important.
1151441
#1: It doesn't. The frequency of a beam of light remains constant regardless of the medium through which it travels, although the wavelength may change.\n#2: Absolutely nothing, for the same reason as #1.\n#3: Not for a mirror. The focal length of a mirror is determined by reflection, not refraction, and the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, regardless of the medium.\n#4: 1:1. The velocity of light does not depend on wavelength*\n\n*okay, for some materials the index of refraction, and therefore the speed of light in that material, depends slightly on wavelength, which is why a prism can be used to separate light into its various colors. However, the question did not specify a particular medium, so I assumed it meant in vacuum, where the velocities of all light rays are indeed the same.
353533
If you could find a transition between an inverted state and a ground state of 1 joule, you could probably make a laser of that frequency. At this point, hard gamma rays are the limit we have done.
85548
Polarized  Unpolar.  Magnifying  Difracting Refracting Magnifying
489404
yes...but u must know the angle of incidence and angle of refraction...light up a candle and place a mirror opposite to it in a room at an angle so tat u can see the candle.then keep other mirror at a place where u can see the first mirror and the candle... continue the process till u get sufficient light. try to place mirrors in the ceiling to get better light.
38582
I realize I am out of my league as far as physics,, but the image reflects directly back to the source in front of it. For the reflection to appear upside down or vertically mirrored the light would have to be bent.\n\nok looked it up.  It is because of the predicatable behavior of light known as the law of reflection
190587
Refraction bent the light when passing in angle throught glass or other material, it can be use in a optical telescope. But the lens used must become thicker when diameter grow, and that make bigger lens really expensive.\n\nreflection can also be use to build telescope. Big mirror can be build at lower cost than lens.
784635
If the two lasers have the same frequency and you pointed them right into each other a thing called a node would form. Which is the cancelation of the wave. The red light would no longer visible because that light hase been deformed by deconstructive interference due to the only single frequency laser that was pointed at it. The node would go all the way into the origin of the other laser and there would be nothing but blankness. The instant the lasers stop interfering with each other the laser will come back to its original state.
490916
In geometrical optics with a pointlike sun the airplane would cast a shodow on the surface.\n\nBut: 1) The sun isn't pointlike but appears as a disc in the sky, so if light from diffent edges of the disc would cross under the plane ther would be no sharp shadow anymore, from a viewpoint on the surface the plane wouldn't cover the sun as whole\n\n2) Light is a wave, so geometic optics is not the whole story, there is refraction that bends the light into the shadow region. That's what you call "refill the void".
1091417
Fascinating question! The surface of the vibrating object would alternately cause reflected light to red shift and blue shift, but that's about as far as my thinking can go. Would the shifts cancel each other, rendering the object invisible?
19075
A laser with strong enough rays would burn through a mirror due to the heat that is sent off from it.As a weak ray would reflect from a mirror because not enough heat is thrown off.