Bill
No, I think Orac mentioned that idea, and that it is not correct.
let me guess , so your saying that the photons that enter the
medium are the same photons that exit the medium.
is that what your saying?
so basically your saying that the light that exits the medium
does not interact with the medium at all , correct.
if so then why does the speed of light decrease through a medium?
I still say that photons entering a medium excite the atoms in the medium and the atoms emit photons and this interaction is why the speed of light decreases through a medium.
diamonds = 2.14 ri
glass = 1.5 ri
diamonds more dense than glass = more interaction.
as in... sometimes you can still find the sensible stuff
if you look long enough , it hasnt been covered up completely
to satisfy the new fantasy disciplines in science.
The speed of light in a vacuum is always the same, but when light moves through any other medium it travels more slowly since it is constantly being absorbed and reemitted by the atoms in the material. The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in another substance is defined as the index of refraction (aka refractive index or n) for the substance.
this is getting interesting.
from what I understand its not the same as the one that entered , because photons are emitted through excitement.
the atoms get excited by photons entering the medium then they emit photons.etc...etc...etc... then the light exits the medium.
YES!
also , lets not forget temperature as temperature causes a medium to become less dense or more dense , so the speed of light is slightly faster through a hotter medium and slightly slower through a colder medium.
and pressures cause temperature increases and vacuums cause
temperature decreases.
its all classical physics.
