jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (06/12/85)
When a chrome exhaust pipe gets hot, it can develop an oxide
layer on its surface that causes colors. This happens because of
interference: the oxide reflects some light and allows some to pass
through. The phase shift between the light reflected from the oxide
and that reflected from the metal beneath causes some frequencies to
cancel and others to reinforce.
My question is: why do the colors stay constant when you change
your angle of view? It seems like the amount of phase shift should change
with the angle of the light, but I know from experience that changing
the angle of view has no effect on the colors. It seems like they're
painted on. What's the explanation?
--
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak
{amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
{ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff