Xref: utzoo talk.politics.misc:8064 sci.misc:903 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!mit-amt!dlleigh From: dlleigh@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Darren L. Leigh) Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,sci.misc Subject: Re: The Last Word on Friedman, Sevener, and Cuba Message-ID: <2123@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> Date: 10 Mar 88 03:15:18 GMT References: <3405@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <9857@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> Reply-To: dlleigh@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Darren L. Leigh) Organization: Arakeen Sewage Authority Lines: 31 Keywords: sci.atmospheric.refraction.politics Summary: more heat than light about light In article <9857@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> sungoddess!oconnor@steinmetz.UUCP writes: >An article by orb@whuts.UUCP (45263-SEVENER,T.J.) says: [ many flames and counter-flames about atmospheric reflection ] >Sorry, but if we postulate a layer of air at the correct >altitude that is less dense (certainly true), less moist >(not uncommon) and/or hotter (very possible over the ocean), >it is entirely possible that total internal reflection >will occur at the interface (even if gradual) to this >boundary, in effect creating a "mirror in the sky" by >which a person might indeed be able to see over the horizon. There really doesn't have to be a layer of anything. Light tends to bend toward regions of higher index of refraction and so can travel in curves. This is the principle behind a "graded index" fiber optic cable, where there is no abrupt change between areas of higher and lower indices of refraction. Instead, the index varies gradually, being highest in the middle and falling off with larger radius. The light travels in neat curves -- it bends back before it can escape the fiber. AT&T does lots of fiber optics stuff. Tim ought to ask around and have someone explain things to him. Did Mike Friedman see Cuba? Who cares. ============================================================================= Darren Leigh dlleigh@media-lab.mit.edu 362 Memorial Dr. mit-amt!dlleigh Cambridge, MA 02139 Condorito Lives!