How to Detect a 2-way Mirror
Don't believe any emailed rumors you may have received about secret two-way mirrors placed in dressing rooms and restrooms. Find out for yourself whether these secret mirrors exist. If you are close to it, a two-way mirror is actually easy to detect through sight alone.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Realize that a popular email about two-way mirrors you may have received is a hoax. It is simply an urban legend that has gained credibility as it has gone from one recipient to the next. You can check suspect stories you hear against the urban legends database at Snopes.com.
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2
Understand that a two-way mirror is specially treated glass that allows light to pass through in both directions, but which also reflects light back into the room. If lights are off on one side of the mirror and on in the other, those on the bright side will see a reflection and those on the dark side will see through the glass.
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3
Know that because they function as windows, two-way mirrors are generally set into the wall; they are not hung on a wall. If the mirror is not flush with the wall, it is most likely not a two-way mirror.
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4
Test the mirror. Cup your hands around your eyes and place your face next to the mirror. If it is a two-way mirror, you will be able to see something on the other side-unless there is absolutely no light on that side.
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5
Turn out the lights. The two-way mirror only works if light is more intense on one side. With the lights off, you will see through a two-way mirror. It may take a few moments to detect the mirror as your eyes adjust.
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6
Tap the mirror. A two-way mirror will produce a hollow sound like a window because there is no backing on the other side. A regular mirror will sound dull.
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1
Tips & Warnings
The "fingernail test," recommended by hoax emails and passed around online, does not work. In fact, it simply reveals where the reflective surface is on the mirror; some mirrors have the reflective surface placed on the surface, and some have glass laid over it.
Be ready to get strange looks if you try to detect a two-way mirror in public!
Though breaking a mirror will show you exactly what you have been looking at, it is not recommended.
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Comments
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Guys, this is correct information about testing 2 way mirrors. Please do not circulate any hoax or false information WITHOUT verifying..
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this article is not for common man...find anything that can easily usable & understandable for all, be user friendly alwAYS...keep it simple silly :-) (behind reason is good buT.......)
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crimoz
Feb 22, 2010
Another quick safety tip: women, if your car breaks down in the middle of the night, get out of your car and go in the woods like 100 yards. Might seem scary, but in really it is your safest bet. Stay there and wait for AAA or friend. Also if your really nervous (like someone slows down) call the cops!! and tell them your scared. They are chivalrous people that like to help. Turn off your lights and take your keys. Don't be the target. Nobody is going to search the woods for you. -
crimoz
Feb 22, 2010
Take a 5x5 mirror and put it on a wall (flush that is) and then cut a 1 inch hole randomly placed behind. That is what you need to look for. These tests are for the big hairy guy in a room behind the mirror, but in actuality it will be a dark room with a camera the size of a quarter looking through at the lit room. You need to run a flash light over the entire surface to find these. This is the technology age. Your friendly Criminologist
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lilaclady
Feb 18, 2008
Oh I always believed the fingernail test, thanks for the enlightenment...
