Anytime you look on the mirror, you behold your image and give some accolades to yourself. What made you so sure that the image on the mirror is you? Could it be what Christians call Faith?
Anyway, the image you behold is a virtual image, not real.
What Is Mirror
This question looks simple at first glimpse, but on trying to give a definite answer, it seems hard. Mirror is fundamentally any object or thing with a smooth surface that reflects almost all the light incident on it in some range of wavelengths, this reflected light preserves the physical characteristics of the initial light incident on it. Only a little percent of the incident light is scattered or absorbed by the mirror.
Based on the above definition, a calm dark water is a mirror, that is why you would see your virtual image if you look on it.
A Brief History Of Mirror
The principle on which mirror works (reflection of incident light) is older than humanity, but human named an object or thing that exhibits this principle mirror and developed some other things based on this mirror principle.
From the definition of mirror, you have understood that anything or object that reflect almost all the light incident on it and preserving the physical characteristics of the incident light is a mirror. So we can say that some relatively dark rivers are mirrors. Therefore, mirror is as old as rivers.
Mirror Is Older Than Man
In my primary school days, I read a story of a greedy dog. This dog had a bone on his mouth and on getting to a river, he saw his virtual image on the river and this virtual image was magnified, thereby, making the bone in his virtual image on the river bigger than the actual size of the bone in this dog's mouth. On the bid to collect the bigger bone from the assumed dog(virtual image), he jumped inside the river and that was the end of that dog.
This story, shows that calm rivers reflects almost all the light incident on it and therefore some rivers are mirrors.
Now, the question is river and humanity, which first existed?
To answer this question, we will consider it in two ways as shown below:
- The evolution theory
- The creation story
1. The Evolution Theory
The first form of humanity started about six million(6,000,000) years ago in the form of a primate genus called Ardipithecus which started the act of walking upright.
After Ardipithecus, came a genus Australopithecus which existed about two million to four million years ago. This group was able to walk upright and climb trees.
Then came another genus called Paranthropus which existed about one million to three million years ago. This group was distinguished by wild teeth, which means better diet.
Finally came the genus called Homo which includes our specie homo sapiens. Homo Sapiens started existing about two million years ago.
The oldest river on earth is River Finke which is about 350-400 million years. It is located in northern territory, South Australia, Australia.
Look carefully at the image of the oldest river above, you will observe there is a reflection of the surrounding grasses and mountains on the river. Is that not a mirror?
From evolution theory, the oldest form of humanity existed six million years ago but the oldest river is about 350-400 million years ago.
So, evolution theory supports that mirror is older than humanity.
2. The Creation Story
From some parts of the creation story of the Bible below:
- On Day 3_God created the dry land and gathered the waters. The dry land HE called earth and the gathered waters HE called Sea(River).
- On Day 6_God created man on His own image
So, sea(river) was created on day 3 while man was created on day 6. This means that rivers are older than humanity and some rivers are mirrors
Finally, we can conclude that both the evolution theory and the creation story agree that mirror is older than humanity.
Mirror And The Law Of Conservation Of Energy
The law of conservation of energy states stated energy cannot be created; rather, it is transformed from one form to another.
When you look on a mirror in the daytime, light reflects off your body and some of this lights would incident at an angle on the mirror, the mirror reflects some of incident light, preserving its physical characteristics. This reflected light is basically photons which gives the virtual image on a mirror.
This means, in a mirror, light energy is transformed into photon energy.
Conclusion
You have learnt what a mirror is and the brief history of mirror. We have seen that the mirror principle is older than humanity, though human named this process mirror just as humans named some animals that existed before him.
Finally, we learnt that mirror obeys the law of conservation of energy, mirror converts light energy to photon energy.
Thanks for your ample time. I remain your brethren @ikchris.
References
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