How can I see myself as semi-transparent in a window and still see what is behind it?
In: Physics
The short answer is that when you “see” something what you’re really seeing is tiny packets of light, called photons, bouncing off something and returning to you, and hitting receptors in your eyes. Your brain then interprets those little packets of light and you see them.
So some surfaces are not 100% reflective, nor 100% transparent, but some combination in between. So let’s say you’re standing at a window, looking a pretty rose bush in your garden. What’s really happening is some light (the sun perhaps) is striking those rose bushes, and bouncing off those rose bushes in all directions, some coming through your window, hitting your eyes, and now you see the bushes.
But that glass isn’t completely clear. Some photons are also coming off YOU, striking the window. Now most pass through. That’s why people on the other side of your window in your garden can see you. But not all do. Some hit the window and bounce back, causing a reflection.
So if you’re looking through a window and seeing a reflection of you AND seeing the rose bush at the same time that’s because what you’re seeing is really a mixture of both of those sources, some of the photons bouncing off your side of the window, showing your reflection, and some coming through.
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