4 ms·
IANAP but from my limited understanding (mostly reading Richard Feynman) light beam = stream of photons, they don't travel through entire body of glass prism wi
by maskedinvader 7y ago
IANAP but from my limited understanding (mostly reading Richard Feynman)
light beam = stream of photons, they don't travel through entire body of glass prism without issue, they get absorbed and re emmitted along the way too (Which is what explains the different speed of light in different mediums)
- CrazyStat 7y agoI'm not convinced but even if we accept that explanation, why do all the atoms along the way emit the light in the direction it was travelling and then the ones at the surface suddenly emit it in a different direction?
- lonelappde 7y agoThey don't! That's why the thickness of th glass of affects it's reflectivity, and not the simple way you might guess. Read Feynman's QED book or watch the YouTube vidoes for a lay intro.
- georgeburdell 7y agoI can recommend Hecht’s Optics textbook for this. I found it at my local library. I have had a number of electromagnetics courses over my life and none explained the unifying scattering principles of reflection, transmission, and refraction concept so clearly as that book
- dhimes 7y agoHecht is an amazing author IMHO. Even his intro physics book is remarkable for introducing Emmy Noether at the outset of dynamics.
- hn3333 7y agoProbably it's just how the math works out. The atoms emit in all directions, however the waves traveling in all the other non-correct (according to reflections and refraction laws) directions cancel each other out, and only the ones with the new correct direction are still there / visible.
- wizzwizz4 7y agoWikiBooks really does have everything: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_Physics_%28Advancing_Physics%29/Quantum_Behaviour https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_Physics_%28Advancing_P... This example is wrong, but useful, and it's (probably) less wrong than what you've been talking about so far. At the very least, it's more useful.
- hn3333 7y agoThanks for correcting me and thanks for the link. But what have I been talking about so far? I don't understand. Also I just watched this video I'd recommend that explains the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NumSE2LvSmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NumSE2LvSmQ
- wizzwizz4 7y agoSorry, by “you” I meant the people way up thread.
- JoBrad 7y agoThis video addresses that, as part of a longer discussion. https://youtu.be/CiHN0ZWE5bk https://youtu.be/CiHN0ZWE5bk Also this one: https://youtu.be/YW8KuMtVpug https://youtu.be/YW8KuMtVpug