Word.ws English Dictionary

illumination problem

illumination problem noun: a mathematical problem, asking whether a room with mirrored walls can always be illuminated by a single-point light source, allowing for repeated reflection of light off the mirrored walls. It was solved in 1958: there are such rooms that cannot be thus illuminated.

Noun

illumination problem

  1. A mathematical problem, asking whether a room with mirrored walls can always be illuminated by a single-point light source, allowing for repeated reflection of light off the mirrored walls. It was solved in 1958: there are such rooms that cannot be thus illuminated.

Origin of illumination problem

From illumination + problem.

Questions about illumination problem

What does illumination problem mean?
Illumination problem means a mathematical problem, asking whether a room with mirrored walls can always be illuminated by a single-point light source, allowing for repeated reflection of light off the mirrored walls. It was solved in 1958: there are such rooms that cannot be thus illuminated.
What part of speech is illumination problem?
Illumination problem is a noun.

Words near illumination problem in the dictionary

  1. illuminating gases
  2. illuminating oil
  3. illuminating oils
  4. illuminatingly
  5. illumination
  6. illumination problem
  7. illuminationism
  8. illuminationist
  9. illuminations
  10. Illuminatism
  11. illuminatist

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: illumination problem (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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