What determines what light is reflected back creating colors? I know color is reflected light, but what determines that? Does it have to doing with

Question

The frequency of the electrons? Idk

In: Physics

Answer 1

Yeah kind of related to the frequency of electrons. Think of atoms as electron motels, and the price of each room (orbital) is the energy paid when an electron rents a room or upgrades to a nicer room from a worse room.

As you shine light on something you send energy to the guests and fill the rooms or let guest upgrade rooms. Different amounts of energy are absorbed, corresponding to different frequencies of light that don’t get reflected back to you.

Your eyes see what is reflected and not absorbed by a guest electron, and that creates color in your mind.