Comment by 9d

Comment by 9d 8 days ago

> Great question!

Thanks! I have lots more too. Are there directions in space? What kind of matter is fire made of? If you shine a laser into a box with one-way mirrors on the inside, will it reflect forever? Do ants feel like they're going in regular motion and we're just going in slow motion? Why do people mainly marry and make friends with people who look extraordinarily similar to themselves? How do futures work in Rust? Why is the C standard still behind a paywall? Let me know if you need any more great questions.

coolcoder613 7 days ago

Flame is what you see when gases burn in the air. As the material burns, it breaks down and releases flammable gases, which burn too, giving the effect of flame. If you have ever tried burning fine-grade steel wool, you will have seen that it burns without any flame because the iron burns directly without making gases first.

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9d 7 days ago

I was told it was plasma. Who is wrong, them or you? Either way, I can't trust one of you...

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- coolcoder613 7 days ago
  
  Perhaps you should look it up yourself? Plasma is not found in flame, but it is in lightning.
  
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lukan 8 days ago

"If you shine a laser into a box with one-way mirrors on the inside, will it reflect forever?"

No, because each reflection comes at a cost (some light transformed to heat)

"Why do people mainly marry and make friends with people who look extraordinarily similar to themselves?"

To not get so much surprises and have a more stable life. (I didn't choose that path.)

(But I feel it would be too much OT answering the other questions and don't want to distract from this great submission or the interesting Wasmi concept)

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9d 8 days ago

No, I do not accept this. There must be a way. What if the mirror box has a high enough heat? Would it work then? The box could be made of a heat resistant material, like fiberglass.

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- Bjartr 7 days ago
  
  It's not that the mirror or box is damaged by heat, it's that each bit of heat energy comes from a bit of light energy. Eventually the light bounces enough times that there's no energy left in it.
  
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  9d 7 days ago
  
  I understand, but what I mean is, what if there is no more opportunity for the light to emit heat, because the surrounding environment is already saturated with so much heat that it can't accept more? Is this a possible way to prevent the light from emitting heat and therefore prevent the light from decreasing its luminousness? There must be a way!
  
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