When it comes to light passing through objects I wasnt sure if the light actually passes between the atoms or if it is absorbed by the atoms and is then emitted by the atoms in sequence until its passes through it entirely. Why else would lights speed slow in various mediums?
Similarly, when light is reflected, are the photons actually bouncing off the atoms, or are they being absorbed and emitted back at the same angle?
If they are, why do atoms shoot the photons off at the same angle opposed to a random one?
In: Physics
It just passes through.
Physical objects are not really physical in the way we think. They are tiny bits of matter with a large electromagnetic field around them. Things interact with the electromagnetic field, not the bits of mass.
When light enters an atom, it is absorbed if an electron that will absorb that frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum. If there is no such electron, the light just passes through.
Clear glass will not absorb visible light. Its electrons will not absorb those frequencies.
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