Why does light pass through glass

Because this process takes time, that's why light slows down slightly in optically more dense materials like glass. Different colours of light have different frequencies; light that is visible to us passes through glass because the arrangement of the atoms in glass means that they can sustain the ripple effect described above at those frequencies, so light can pass through.

But other materals, with a different configuration of atoms in the crystal structure, cannot permit light to propagate and instead absorb the energy. A good example of this is an X-ray. It will go straight through a human body mostly unchanged, but the lead apron worn by the radiographer stops it in its tracks.

Skip to main content. Earth Science. Articles Answers to Science Questions How does light travel through glass? How does light travel through glass? Part of the show Do animals use toilet paper? Play Download. Question I believe that light is considered to be both waves and particles.

Answer The first thing is that any solid object that looks solid to us is actually has huge amount of space in it Previous Are there materials that convert heat directly into electricity? Next What is the smallest thing that is possible to see with a microscope? Related Content Physics. Is the Higgs Field constant? Engineering Physics. Why is copper so good at conducting heat? Light Physics. But our eyes detect only certain wavelengths known as the visible spectrum, and each wavelength in the visible spectrum represents a different color.

When something is clear, like glass, visible light passes straight through it without being absorbed or reflected. Wood, on the other hand, absorbs the light in wavelengths we can see. To understand this on the atomic level, imagine electrons whizzing around in clearly defined paths, like cars on a racetrack.

The racetracks are called energy levels, and they determine whether the material will absorb light. When the energy level of the electron is similar to the energy of the light, the electron absorbs the light. Clear glass does not absorb visible light, but it does absorb other wavelengths: ultraviolet, which is what gives you a suntan, and infrared, or heat. That glass window is doing what it does best — keeping the inclement weather out while still permitting light to pass through.

The substance absorbs the photon. This occurs when the photon gives up its energy to an electron located in the material. Armed with this extra energy, the electron is able to move to a higher energy level, while the photon disappears. The substance reflects the photon. To do this, the photon gives up its energy to the material, but a photon of identical energy is emitted. The substance allows the photon to pass through unchanged. Known as transmission, this happens because the photon doesn't interact with any electron and continues its journey until it interacts with another object.

Transparent Glass FAQ Why is glass transparent to visible light but opaque to ultraviolet and infrared? This is because of the energy UV and infrared light hold and their wavelengths. When visible light transmits through glass, waves don't have enough energy to excite the electrons within, so they pass right through the crystallized structure, thus causing transparency. Why is glass transparent while any typical metal is opaque? This concept is also known as diaphaneity or pellucidity.

While light waves don't have energy to excite and reflect off of glass' electrons, the same cannot be said about other metals. Light touches electrons, excites them and bounces back, which allows us to see the metal. Is glass always see-through? Not all glass is transparent — sometimes it is translucent or glows or may distort the image on the other end. How does sand become clear glass? The melted silicon dioxide filters away any and all impurities. While sand has impurities that render it visible, pure silicon dioxide forms a robust crystal which is clear glass.

Why is glass transparent and brittle? If glass isn't heat treated, it is transparent since there are no impurities or grain boundaries in the glass. The lack of these boundaries means that there is no specific boundary to the bond between compounds, effectively turning the glass brittle.

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