Steinie's U3DA Game "What is it?"

[Finis]

Not sure if there's a winner. Partially because I don't know exactly what this was for. In the past it was not uncommon for ranchers to get surplus/used containers from White Sands Missile Range. I see them in remote places when hiking. This one is near the hang glider launch.They were often water troughs but some were storage or other. Some labels say they contained missiles, rockets, rocket motors but labels are often missing, unreadable, or just part numbers.

The container may have "class A explosive" and "Rock"-something painted on it. The container may be this but it has an FSN number and this is an NSN.
https://www.iso-group.com/NSN/8140-00-973-1596

Both correct:
- it is a container
- it probably contained weapon related things
- it is of a military nature

Both incorrect:
- it was not dropped

Someone post a new what is it.

[borgcone]

What is it?
Answer the material and situation. It may be easy for those who have seen it before.

[bitkar]

not really high res.... looks like a painted wall to me :D

[Finis]

The material looks like carpet, stucco, or concrete.

The situation: If concrete then it is a mural probably chalk. If stucco then it is a fresco. If carpet then it is a mosaic.

There are lines that could be the edges of concrete slabs or pieces of carpet.

I think it is chalk artwork on concrete.

[borgcone]

I didn't use chalk, concrete, stucco, fresco, carpet, and wall.

Hints: This took me about 10 minutes to create. It's difficult to recreate something almost identical. Cropped but not retouched the photo. The focus is imperfect because the camera is not suited to the situation.

The correct answer will be revealed around Jan 5. Have a happy new year!

[Finis]

Could be paper but if a mosaic it would take more that 10 minutes.

I think it is plastic or some translucent material folded and overlaid. Different colors of material interact to make more colors.

[borgcone]

Last hints.
- When colored translucent/semi-transparent sheets are simply overlaid, it is not possible to create R, G, B from colors other than R, G, B, and the overlapped areas will not become brighter.
- When colored light rays are projected onto paper or other material and overlaid, R, G, B cannot be created on the overlapping areas and they will not become darker.
- The image was not drawn with a computer graphics tool. It's taken by my ordinary camera.

[borgcone]

Finis's answer is partly correct.

The correct answer: 2 - 5 layers of almost transparent cellophane tape between two polarizing plates, and observe by shining white light through them.
(No colored materials are used, and it is the result of white light being split into separate color.)

I used a tool used to observe thin rock slices, but you can try this if you have two polarizing glasses.

As shown in the figure, align the axes of one of the lens, place a transparent sheet of uneven thickness between them, and look at it toward white light. The color changes if you change the angle of the glasses or the angle of the sheet.

The photo shows two candy wrappers stacked on top of each other. The wrinkles cause them to appear iridescent. A thickness about the same as cellophane tape is just right for the experiment; plastic food-wrap (about 0.01 or 0.02 mm) is too thin to color it.

Related pages:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_section
Or search the net:
rock composition polarized
cross-polarized light

Next "What is it" question please.

[bitkar]

science! very nice

[Finis]

This is for people who don't already know. If you know please let others guess. And no searching the web. Guess from the photos and context.

This is the Pentagon. Headquarters of the US Department of Defense. There have been at least three different structures in the center. Legend states that the USSR had two nuclear missiles aimed specifically at them. Many Pentagon employees visit the structure.

What is the structure in the center?