Infinite Mirror TunnelAndrew GaoAward: Top 100
School: homestead high school In this photo, two mirrors are placed facing each other in a near-parallel configuration, creating an infinite mirror effect. Three physics phenomena can be observed. First, due to the slight angle differences in the positions of the mirrors, this "tunnel" of mirrors appears to curve to one side, because as light travels back and forth between the two mirrors, even minuscule differences in angle compound and, after a large number of reflections, completely shift the perceived image. An additional phenomenon is the visibility of the "tunnel" decreasing as it continues -- this is because most mirrors only reflect 90-98% of the light that hits them. A small percentage of light that is absorbed, similar to a small difference in angle, compounds every time light travels back and forth between the mirrors, resulting in an increasingly dimmer image. Lastly, reflections appear to lose their shape the further they are in the infinite mirror. Because the camera that was used to take this photo has what is known as a rolling shutter, the images are taken in rows of pixels by the camera's sensor, rather than all at once. Since this photo was taken by hand, tiny vibrations in the hand as the camera scanned from the top to the bottom of the image resulted in small angular deviations that compounded in magnitude as the light was continuously reflected between the two mirrors, similar to the first phenomenon. Consequently, the closer reflections seem normal, while the reflections farther away appear distorted. 
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