light is different on the island....

[therealsawyer]

tie+gun+extensive knowledge of physics=sexy

I've heard that confidence is a real turn on to women. 

[Lion of Atreides]

I found a helpful page explaining the Delbruck Scattering idea offered earlier by Goober at:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=430345

There exist numerous means by which to explain why the light might be different on the island, such as Faraday Cages (see Wikipedia), Delbruck Scattering and the Casimir Effect.  Whatever the explanation from physics that the writers choose later, we do know one thing for certain: that the island is somehow 'separate' and 'protected' from the world beyond the island.  That implies a boundary of some sort.  Which implies that Snell's Law comes into play.

Fortuitously for the germination of my theory, on Survivor this week, Yau-man used a drop of water on his eyeglasses to refract the sunlight into a hot enough pinpoint in order to light some kindling.  That got me thinking about this problem from Lost...  Whatever is shielding the island may have a similar optic affect of refracting/focusing sunlight onto the island, such that it's 'less diffuse' as Dan noticed.

Again, EM fields may be tapped to provide an ultimate explanation, but the 'different light' could be explained by other Dharma experiments, like weather modification.  Perhaps the bubble around the island partially consists a sudden increase or decrease in air pressure (i.e. 'the maelstrom'), which has the effect of refracting light.  This possibility would go quite a way to explain the tongue in cheek sense this week that Locke knew when the rain would stop...because he's attuned to the island, which is using it's powers (either magical or technological, who knows which) to manipulate the weather, and indirectly, the light.

[Cowboy Up]

Actually after taking years of physics classes they finally help out.

Faraday is the name of a physicist who discovered that magnets can have an effect on light.  This is probably the reason he (Daniel Faraday also a physicist) commented about the light.  I thought it was a nice touch by the writers.

Great catch.  Welcome to the boards.

I agree, great catch...

[DirtyMaggieMae]

I found a helpful page explaining the Delbruck Scattering idea offered earlier by Goober at:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=430345

There exist numerous means by which to explain why the light might be different on the island, such as Faraday Cages (see Wikipedia), Delbruck Scattering and the Casimir Effect.  Whatever the explanation from physics that the writers choose later, we do know one thing for certain: that the island is somehow 'separate' and 'protected' from the world beyond the island.  That implies a boundary of some sort.  Which implies that Snell's Law comes into play.

Fortuitously for the germination of my theory, on Survivor this week, Yau-man used a drop of water on his eyeglasses to refract the sunlight into a hot enough pinpoint in order to light some kindling.  That got me thinking about this problem from Lost...  Whatever is shielding the island may have a similar optic affect of refracting/focusing sunlight onto the island, such that it's 'less diffuse' as Dan noticed.

Again, EM fields may be tapped to provide an ultimate explanation, but the 'different light' could be explained by other Dharma experiments, like weather modification.  Perhaps the bubble around the island partially consists a sudden increase or decrease in air pressure (i.e. 'the maelstrom'), which has the effect of refracting light.  This possibility would go quite a way to explain the tongue in cheek sense this week that Locke knew when the rain would stop...because he's attuned to the island, which is using it's powers (either magical or technological, who knows which) to manipulate the weather, and indirectly, the light.

I think there may be some type of weather manipulation going on.  First, it was mentioned in the Dharma video, and both Locke and Juliet are quite spot on when it comes to predicting rain...!

[Lost-N-Detroit]

Did anyone notice Kate's reaction to Ben after he mentions the light being different?
Kate looked as if she thought Dan was a wacko for mentioning the light properties.

[footballmom10]

Why would light not scatter right everywhere about you?  I mean, I don't know, but if a magnet or whatever can bend light, wouldn't the scatter be off or towards one direction but not in all directions?  Or, I guess he didn't say that exactly, but you know what I mean.

[Laklost]

Um...I was an English major, and frankly, I didn't know light scattered!  So it's all news to me. 

[cbw420]

Did anyone notice Kate's reaction to Ben after he mentions the light being different?
Kate looked as if she thought Dan was a wacko for mentioning the light properties.

come again?? i'm confused, when was kate with ben and faraday and mention light? did i miss something?

[this is some crazy stuff]

said ben meant Dan.   as in faraday

[Laklost]

She's still giving him the look here - "Are you fer real?"  

[LostAndSeek]

She's still giving him the look here - "Are you fer real?" 

Yeah, that was funny. She thinks Miles is a crackpot too.

[lostfan777]

She's still giving him the look here - "Are you fer real?" 

I can't tell if she is flirting with Dan to manipulate him or if TPTB are trying to put across that there is some connection happening, but she seems to like him.  Maybe he ends up being the 'him' Kate needs to get back to in the ff.

This is where the MPU theorists come in to say that Kate is the unidentified woman who asks him why he is crying (in the flash FORWARD) when he sees the plane coverage and that he is remembering the island and she doesn't. 

[Laklost]

She's still giving him the look here - "Are you fer real?" 

I can't tell if she is flirting with Dan to manipulate him or if TPTB are trying to put across that there is some connection happening, but she seems to like him.  Maybe he ends up being the 'him' Kate needs to get back to in the ff.

This is where the MPU theorists come in to say that Kate is the unidentified woman who asks him why he is crying (in the flash FORWARD) when he sees the plane coverage and that he is remembering the island and she doesn't. 

Where's my fainting emoticon?

[gjohnson]

I'm thinking that he was told about some of the properties of the island and didn't quite believe them. His observation about how the light was scattering is consistent with what he has been told, but not conclusive. He seems cautiously optimistic that there is an interesting (to him) phenomena at work on this "island"

[lostfan777]

Where's my fainting emoticon?

I've had plenty of occasions where I couldn't find an appropriate emoticon (probably for the best).  These boards tend to bring out a wide variety of emotions!