Talk:Mirror

disambiguation needed
I came here looking to get info about the one hit wonder band who sung Brady, called looking glass. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.184.110.64 (talk) 01:46, 17 January 2020 (UTC)

Breaking a mirror
add the bad luck RealCyGuy (talk) 17:04, 11 October 2018 (UTC)


 * Good idea, but we can't say that it actually causes bad luck, or that luck truly exists at all. What we can add is a section on superstitions, their history, psychology, etc... For example, the notion that a breaking a mirror causes bad luck is one that goes back thousands of years; possibly to prehistoric times. It is also one that is shared across many cultures, from Asia to the US, (unlike others such as "unlucky 13", which is unlucky in Europe and the US, but lucky in Asia). There are theories that this may result from the perception that the mirror is a reflection of the soul, which is evident from many cultures, such as the Greeks, to whom a reflected image (especially in water) was thought to have magical powers, thus breaking the reflection would shatter those powers. (In this context it was only bad luck if your image was reflected during the break.) The attachment of "seven years" is said to be a Roman addition, possibly dating back to the legendary time of Romulus and Remus, who were the twins (also symbolic of a mirror image) that were raised from infants by a wolf to become the founders of the Roman Empire. For example, a depiction of the twins suckling from the wolf is etched on the Mirror of Bolsena. The notion of "seven years" was how long in Roman mythology it took a person's soul to recover from injury.


 * Then there is the real probability that many of these superstitions were made to protect us and other valuable things from harm. The notion that spilling salt is bad luck came from a time when salt was a very expensive commodity, thus it was best not to waste it. Bad luck can certainly come from walking under a ladder (especially when someone is working on it) because that's a good way to get something dropped on your head. In Nome, Alaska, the elders warn the children to stay away from the tar pits by telling them about the "tar monster", just to keep them safe. In ancient times, mirrors were extremely expensive and easily damaged, so the superstition may have simply arose as a way to help protect them.


 * This is the kind of info we would need. You are more than welcome to add, but you would need to do some research and find this info in reliable sources. If you're up to it, please feel free. Zaereth (talk) 18:31, 11 October 2018 (UTC)

Aluminum vs Silver
The article states that Aluminum is harder, less expensive, and more resistant to tarnishing than silver, and will reflect 85 to 90% of the light in the visible to near-ultraviolet range, but is a poor reflector of infrared wavelengths longer than 800 nm.

Where does this come from? Alu has a dip in reflectivity around 850 nm but picks up again after that to the upper half of the 90 percent range.

--194.78.86.66 (talk) 10:57, 19 December 2018 (UTC)


 * You're correct. I found it in the source in the article, but upon rereading it does indeed say there is a dip [beginning] at 800nm (centered at 850 apparently), whereas I was looking for a usable range and took that to mean unsuitable beyond that point. This looks like a mistake on my part (possibly but unintentionally caused by my own experience, because aluminum mirrors typically are not marketed for NIR or IR ... I don't know why but I'm guessing due to gold's higher performance). Thanks for pointing that out. I'll fix it momentarily. Zaereth (talk) 02:02, 21 December 2018 (UTC)

What does "incides" mean?
As in "...an object such that each narrow beam of light that incides on its surface bounces in a single direction."

I thought it might be a specialist term in physics but those usually appear in common dictionaries. If it means "hits" can we use that instead, please? This article is very technical, and that's fine but in the very first paragraph it would be helpful to write for a less erudite audience. Aelfgifu (talk) 19:00, 21 August 2020 (UTC)


 * It looks to me like someone was trying to make a verb out of the word "incident", although no such word exists in English. The article was recently restructured, and while many of the changes are good, some are very questionable, and those to the opening paragraphs are some that are especially cumbersome. There are others, like "The supporting material does not need to be transparent, but telescope mirrors often use glass anyway". Glass is used almost universally because it has no grain boundaries, and if something like stone was used, those grains would show through the coating. So, while in some cases the restructuring of the article was very helpful, it does leave a lot to be fixed as well. Zaereth (talk) 20:11, 21 August 2020 (UTC)

Safe hanging, and the use of string/twine
The article could usefully mention the danger of hanging a mirror, especially a heavy mirror, using string or twine. String/twine usually consists of a number of interweaved fibres. A mirror is often suspended from a hook, or a nail. Over time, the weight of the mirror pulling down may cause individual fibres above the hook or nail to sever, gradually reducing the number of fibres supporting the mirror. Eventually, e.g. after a number of years, so few fibres may remain uncut, the string/twine breaks and the mirror falls. (The same issue arises with other heavy hung objects, e.g. pictures.) It is wise to consider using a strong chain rather than string/twine to hang heavy items such as mirrors. 09:59, 24 December 2020 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.96.139.8 (talk)

Mass production
Is there any mass-production of mirrors going on for concentrated solar power plants ? Would seem only logical, but can't find refs. If so, add to Talk:Mass_production --Genetics4good (talk) 14:52, 26 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I doubt it. Too specialized. That'd be like mass production of nuclear reactors. You build them as you need them. It's all supply and demand. The fact that you can't find refs is a good indication, but not everything manufactured is publicized. If you're building your own plant, I'd suggest checking the Thomas Register, but that's not a good source for Wikipedia. Too much like marketing. Zaereth (talk) 03:08, 28 January 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 11:08, 20 October 2021 (UTC)
 * Titian - Venus with a Mirror - Google Art Project.jpg

mirror information
i used to have a mirror in 2016 but i and my mom brother and baby sister, but this was long time ago. 24.237.37.141 (talk) 02:47, 22 April 2022 (UTC)

airtag 174.175.178.214 (talk) 03:55, 9 March 2023 (UTC)