Re: Pinhole Digest #831 - 01/29/02

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From: Mike Schulist (schulist@marin.k12.ca.us)
Date: Fri Feb 01 2002 - 13:42:37 PST 

Message-Id: <f04330104b880bc3f2334@[10.10.43.209]>
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 13:42:37 -0800
From: Mike Schulist <schulist@marin.k12.ca.us>
Subject: Re: Pinhole Digest #831 - 01/29/02

>Pinhole Digest #831 - Tuesday, January 29, 2002
>
> color of particles
> by "Mike Schulist" <schulist@marin.k12.ca.us>
> Re: pinhole color of particles
> by <pauld@exploratorium.edu>

Thanks Paul! - Mike

>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: color of particles
>From: "Mike Schulist" <schulist@marin.k12.ca.us>
>Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 18:36:30 -0800
>
>Is it possible for atomic particles to have a color? An 8th grade
>student stumped me on this question. I responded by saying they are
>too small to reflect any noticable light or to separate light into
>individual color wavelengths. I think....
>
>Mike Schulist
>Miller Creek Middle School
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: pinhole color of particles
>From: <pauld@exploratorium.edu>
>Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 21:09:33 US/Pacific
>
>Hi Mike
>Good answer
>
>Color is a perception of the human eye and brain, without a human there is no
>yellow!
>
>We often call light that will trigger a human yellow perception "yellow light"
>
>and we talk about particles which reflect yellow light as "yellow particles".
>
>This works great when we are dealing with rubber balls.
>
>It might even work for atoms, for example a single sodium atom sitting in the
>darkness and excited by electron collisions will emit "yellow light" since the
>electrons around the atom change energy levels and give off light that will
>trigger the yellow perception in a human.
>
>The electrons in the pigment molecules of a rubber ball change energy levels
>and absorb blue light reflecting red and green light which humans
>see as yellow
>so we say it is a yellow ball.
>
>But a lone particle like an electron, or a proton by itself has no emission
>lines or absorption bands in the visible spectrum. And so subatomic particles
>are colorless.
>
>Paul D
>
>
>
>
>> Is it possible for atomic particles to have a color? An 8th grade
>> student stumped me on this question. I responded by saying they are
>> too small to reflect any noticable light or to separate light into
>> individual color wavelengths. I think....
>>
>> Mike Schulist
>> Miller Creek Middle School
>>
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>>
>
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