28th June 2004, 6:42 PM
It didn't create anything though. Conservation of matter/energy remember. If the shadow actually IS something, then it must be in the form of energy or matter, meaning that using a flashlight has an end result greater than the energy emitted. That is a physical impossibility. Like I said, it's only a shadow because that's what we call dark areas inside lit areas. In a completely dark room, one could easily say the entire room is in darkness. You say you see nothing, good call I suppose, though the brain does create an image for you there too, after all you do see that blackness even though it doesn't actually exist. However, you can't see a shadow either. That's also seeing nothing, only difference is the surrounding cells ARE being stimulated by light, so in that area, it's nothing but darkness, but AROUND it is light. Why would light AROUND something change the nature of the dark area? Relative comparison? It's only dark because the light makes it dark? Nope, it would be dark anyway. Remember the totally black room? Sure, if you've never seen light before, it's all the same, but that's the human side. Utter darkness is an absolute, outside human opinion. Whether some light is considered bright or dim is of course just opinion, but the fact that it IS light is also an absolute. And light can exist without shadows, just make sure nothing is blocking it, or just put up another light bulb behind anything blocking it.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)