I did this experiment with two different flashlights. The first one I used was a flashlight light that was slightly bigger and dimmer than the one we used in class. I shined the flashlight into my walk-in closet, which was completely dark, and was surprised to see that there was no visible beam. It looked just as it did as the flashlight we used in the box. You could see where the flashlight was shining on the opposite wall, and that was where it was brightest. The light lit up everything eye-level to the flashlight but I'd say it was a 2 inch range around the entire flashlight that things were being lit up. I then took the flashlight outside late at night and again, there was no visible beam. It shined the same range as it did in the closet, but there was no spot that it was the brightest. It just faded to where you weren't able to see it anymore. The weather was clear and it was 9:30 pm. There was no rain or smoke and it wasn't humid outside. The last place I shined this flashlight was in my bedroom. I turned all the lights off in my room, and the only light that was showing in the room came from under my door which was the light from the kitchen. The same thing happened as in the closet, and there was a bright spot on the opposite wall from which I was shining.
The second flashlight I used was two flashlights in one. It looked like this:
Again, there was no visible beam outside, in my closet, or in my room. The thing that was different was that in my closet, you could see a series of circles of lights as the light made it's way to the opposite wall. There were 4 brighter circles around the range of light that was shining. The same circles showed in my room, but they did not show outside in my yard.
With both flashlights inside my room and closet, I was able to see dust particles floating around, but outside I didn't really see anything floating in the light that was shining. The lights seemed to be brighter when I shined them in my closet and in my room than they did out in my yard. With both lights I tried to look for a beam as I was holding them straight in front of me, and could not. I also held the flashlights horizontal in front of me to try to see a beam from the side and could not.
The second flashlight I used was two flashlights in one. It looked like this: 
If I had to summarize what you saw I'd say this: You didn't see a beam in any condition, but you saw things that were lit up. You saw the wall lit up in a bright circle, both in the closet and the room. You saw dust particles as well. Did I get that right?
ReplyDeleteI'm also curious about the fading light outside...because earlier in the post you said you didn't see a beam. If that's true, you must not have seen a fading beam of light. Was the lit areas on the ground fading? Or were there other objects around you like tables, chairs, walls that were looking dimmer and dimmer the farther they were? I'm just trying to get a picture of what you saw.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you didn't see the beam because of the angle at which you were looking. For instance, I had my husband hold the flashlight and so i looked directly at the flashlight but still from the side- does that make sense? I was on the side but also look towards the source, so it wasn't totally horizontal and not completely straight on. Anyway, I was able to see a distinct (although dim) beam of light. So I wonder if you didn't see one because you were always looking straight at where it was pointed or down on it? I also did mine down a hallway and you said you were in your bedroom, but you'd still think it would pretty much be the same. It also might've been the different flashlights we were using that caused us to see different things. I used a pretty heavy duty one; it wasn't super big around but it was bright.
That's so interesting you could see those ring of lights as the light made its way to the wall. I wonder why they were seen inside but not outside? Maybe because an obstacle was so close to the source in your room and closet but of course there's no large close obstacle outside.
Kirby Dudley (Hall)
Brain, yes you got my ideas correct. Outside I just held the flashlight straight infront of me, not directing it to any walls or trees or bushes or anything and the light just faded. There was no brighter circle anywhere. In my closet, everything looked just as bright on the opposite wall as it was around the source of the light.
ReplyDeleteKirby, I tried to hold it in different angels but I still couldn't see a beam. The lights I were using were LED I believe so maybe that's why? My light was also not very bright.