What makes glass transparent even though it’s in a solid state?
In: Physics
FYI: Glass, is not actually a solid, nor a liquid. It is an amorphous solid—a state somewhere between those two states of matter.
But to answer your question, the electrons in the resulting compound of heating sand, limestone, and soda, don’t have much freedom within its crystalline structure, and thus are not very effective at absorbing light energy., so it passes thru them.
Edit to explain easier:
If a photon (a particle of light) traveling through a solid meets an electron with an energy gap of equal energy, it will be absorbed by that electron as it ‘jumps’ to a higher energy level. This means that very little light can travel through the material without being absorbed, thus making the material opaque. However, with transparent materials, the energy gap is larger, so that the photons cannot excite the electrons into a higher energy level. This allows the photons to pass through the material unaffected, making the material see-through. So in essence, the interaction between light and a material is based on the light wavelength and the nature of the material.
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