Infinity Mirrors

Overview: An infinity mirror is a configuration of two or more parallel or angled mirrors, which are arranged to create a series of smaller and smaller reflections that appear to recede to infinity.

​​Supplies: Commercial infinity mirror, homemade OSC infinity mirror built during SEA summer camp, homemade handheld OSC infinity mirror built during SEA summer camp (if available)

Objectives: What causes us to see what appears to be an infinite depth of light in a picture frame?

Setup:

  • Stand mirrors up on table
  • Plug in and turn on mirrors

How to run the demo:

Cycle between turning the mirrors off, to show how it looks like a regular mirror, and turning the mirrors on, to show how the lights appear to shine on into infinity.

Lights off
Lights on

What’s Happening?

An infinity mirror build starts off with a standard 100% reflective mirror at the back of a deep frame. There is then a strip of lights on the inside edge of the frame. The front “mirror” is really a piece of glass with a partially transmissive, partially reflective surface. With the lights off, the internal of the box is dark enough that the front surface looks like a standard mirror. When the lights are turned on they are reflected off the back standard mirror. Since the front surface is partially reflective, part of the light is then reflected back to the standard mirror and then back to the front, back to the back, etc. The partially transmissive part allows you to see this reflecting happening.

Learn more: (external links)