Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#1

Post by ColinWright » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 4:52 PM UTC

Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror
techfragments.com

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#2

Post by leeoniya » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:13 PM UTC

was hoping for more technical details. maybe they're still going through the patent application?

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#3

Post by phaet0n » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:17 PM UTC

Feynmann's great mirror story [1]. Try and solve the puzzle before watching the whole clip.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msN87y-iEx0

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#4

Post by deutronium » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:21 PM UTC

leeoniya wrote: post #2

was hoping for more technical details. maybe they're still going through the patent application?

Here's the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 but it doesn't mean much to me.

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#5

Post by Hopka » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:26 PM UTC

deutronium wrote: post #4

leeoniya wrote: post #2

was hoping for more technical details. maybe they're still going through the patent application?

Here's the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 but it doesn't mean much to me.

This patent is not for the non-reversing mirror but for another type of mirror which was invented earlier.

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#6

Post by jpdoctor » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:28 PM UTC

> When you look in a normal mirror, the image you see of yourself is in reverse.

Funny thing: Mirrors don't reverse left and right. They reverse front and back.

So this "non-reversing" mirror is actually mapping y to -y, x to -x (Where the mirror is in front of you in the z-direction.

Curious.

Edit: I believe tomerv below is correct: x is mapping to -x but y is kept the same.

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#7

Post by thejad » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:32 PM UTC

This is pretty great!

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#8

Post by naner » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:34 PM UTC

I'm having a hard time visualizing this.

If I am standing directly in front of this mirror and slowly reach forward with my right hand until I touch the mirror, will my hand be touching its mirrored self?

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#9

Post by deutronium » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:39 PM UTC

Hopka wrote: post #5

deutronium wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US8180606 but it doesn't mean much to me.

This patent is not for the non-reversing mirror but for another type of mirror which was invented earlier.

Oh sorry, yep, you're right

Re: Math Professor Invents Non-Reversing Mirror

#10

Post by tomerv » Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 5:42 PM UTC

jpdoctor wrote: post #6

> When you look in a normal mirror, the image you see of yourself is in reverse. Funny thing: Mirrors don't reverse left and right. They reverse front and back. So this "non-reversing" mirror is actually mapping y to -y, x to -x (Where the mirror is in front of you in the z-direction. Curious. Edit: I believe tomerv below is correct: x is mapping to -x but y is kept the same.

If you map both x to -x and y to -y (in addition to mapping z to -z), then you still get a reversed (chiral) image. From the pictures, it looks like it maps x to -x, but y is kept the same.