My group (OWLS!) was determined that a "fuzzy pathway of light" could be present under the right circumstances, so in my experiment, I was determined to prove us right. First, I chose to go outside with three flashlights. The first one I used was a $1 cheap flashlight that my parents bought me when I went to camp in middle school. It surprisingly was actually very bright. I think this may be because of the textured mirror. Next I used a very large mag-lite. This light was very dim and made it difficult to see anything further than the ground. The last light I used was a similar mag-lite with a brighter light. I tried shining all three flashlights up, down, straight, and to the side, but I never once saw a pathway of light.
From there I went back inside and tried shining it in my parents bedroom (It was the only large room not in use.). Using all three flashlights, I tried shining the lights in the dark at short and long distances and in all the directions I experimented with outside, but I still couldn't see a path of light. I did, however, see a little dust particle floating through the air when I used the bright mag-lite and made it shine upwards. I noticed that the light couldn't travel very far in my parents' room because there were too many objects that broke the pathway.
On a side note, when I was at work the other day, the sun was shining through one of the doors in the gymnasium. The gym was filled with lights from the fluorescents and the sun, but there were several dust particles visible in the pathway of light from the sun.
From these three experiments, I have come to the conclusion that:
1. A pathway of light cannot be seen in short distances or when the light is disrupted by an object.
2. The strength of the light determines whether or not there will be a pathway of light. None of my flashlights were strong enough.
3. Dust particles can be seen with the right strength of light. The sun is an extremely bright source of light, which is most likely why I could see dust particles at work!
I also did not see a pathway of light when shining the flashlight in different directions. I think a very strong light is needed to be able to see the direct path. I agree the sun is strong enough to show this pathway. I however, do not agree that a strong light is needed to see dust particles. I saw dust particles floating in the air with my flashlight and often see it with weaker lights. I just think the light needs to shine directly on it to make the dust particles reflect.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, great observations! I didn't think to use different types of flashlights.