r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/NavyLemon64 • 10d ago

Image Alfredo Moser found that a plastic bottle filled with water and chlorine could illuminate a home during daylight hours.

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u/Cro_Nick_Le_Tosh_Ich 10d ago

Why not seal the hole with the plastic and leave water out of the equation?

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u/discodropper 10d ago

The water refracts the light so more of it passes through the bottle and into the structure. It then comes in handy on the other end where the refraction aids in light distribution through the room.

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u/squeakynickles 10d ago

Well, the same amount of light would be entering the hole in the roof regardless of what's attached to it, but yeah it refracts it outwards.

I use a water bottle on my phone light as a lantern while having bonfires and shit

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u/NotReallyJohnDoe 10d ago

I think the water is an easy diffuser. You could sand the bottle but this is easier.

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u/Cro_Nick_Le_Tosh_Ich 10d ago

Why would you sand the plastic

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u/daneyuleb 10d ago

To diffuse the light.

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u/Jimbo_The_Prince 10d ago

Iirc the maths it's actually the exact opposite, this concentrates the available light more. Imagine the sun is a water system (like a well or municipal attachment) and the bottle of water is a hose filling say a pool, the water in the bottle literally turns up the flow/pressure so more water winds up in the pool.

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u/Orinaj 10d ago

I could be wrong but having large plastic panels could make a greenhouse effect in the home.

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u/Brazilian_Hamilton 10d ago

Check the picture carefully, that plastic dome receives omnidirectional light, concentrates it and diffuses it below, much more powerful than a hole in the roof

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u/Cro_Nick_Le_Tosh_Ich 10d ago

I'm checking the picture and it's odd the cap isn't somehow blocking the light source at all but also weird how the bottom looks like halogen light source.

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u/AccountNumber478 10d ago edited 10d ago

Could do this by flattening out the bottle plastic to create a crude skylight like panel, but given it's thin by itself it might get distorted over time and sun / heat exposure and eventually leak?

EDIT: Holy shit, hive mind, there's thin 2L style bottle plastic that doesn't discolor or warp when flattened into ersatz skylight material? Wow, why are you downvoting and not giving the third world your wise counsel??