Thought about this today and couldnt wrap my head around it. Could it have something to do with particle density?
If it has something to do with the abilty to absorb and reflect it, how does that exactly work?
Thanks in advance!
In: 6
Light is made of up of an electromagnetic wave. In order to go forward (propagate) it needs to be able to build an electric field. This is really hard in a metal, which basically short circuits that. Thus the electric field is quickly reduced to 0 (Volt/meter). This effectively stops light in its path.
The “short circuit” can be seen as a reverse voltage. It cancels out the incoming wave. The reverse voltage will also propagate in the opposite direction: The reflection.
Fun fact: If the material is thin enough, some light can tunnel through as the electric field is not completely reduced to 0 V/m. In the end, light is also a particle and will either reflect or tunnel through then. The tunneling effect is used in two-way mirrors (and other electronics)
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