wave length to vibrational dimension ratio [Archive]

Richard Saam

Aug20-04, 10:45 AM

<jabberwocky><div class="vbmenu_control"><a href="jabberwocky:;" onClick="newWindow=window.open('','usenetCode','toolbar=no, location=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,status=no ,width=650,height=400'); newWindow.document.write('<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Usenet ASCII</TITLE></HEAD><BODY topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 BGCOLOR=#F1F1F1><table border=0 width=625><td bgcolor=midnightblue><font color=#F1F1F1>This Usenet message\'s original ASCII form: </font></td></tr><tr><td width=449><br><br><font face=courier><UL><PRE>\nThis is experimentally obvious but is there some intuitive explanation\nwhy there is such a big difference in the wave length and the physical\ndimension of a vibrating species interacting with that wave length?\n\nFor instance, hydrocarbon alkanes with a physical dimension of 1E-9\nmeter are induced to vibrate with a incident electromagnetic wave length\nof about 2E-5 meter. This is a ratio in lengths of about 20,000.\n\nWhat is the intuitive argument for this observed phenonenon?\n\nRichard\n\n</UL></PRE></font></td></tr></table></BODY><HTML>');"> <IMG SRC=/images/buttons/ip.gif BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER ALT="View this Usenet post in original ASCII form">  View this Usenet post in original ASCII form </a></div><P></jabberwocky>This is experimentally obvious but is there some intuitive explanation
why there is such a big difference in the wave length and the physical
dimension of a vibrating species interacting with that wave length?

For instance, hydrocarbon alkanes with a physical dimension of 1E-9
meter are induced to vibrate with a incident electromagnetic wave length
of about 2E-5 meter. This is a ratio in lengths of about 20,000.

What is the intuitive argument for this observed phenonenon?

Richard

William R. Frensley

Aug20-04, 02:18 PM

<jabberwocky><div class="vbmenu_control"><a href="jabberwocky:;" onClick="newWindow=window.open('','usenetCode','toolbar=no, location=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,status=no ,width=650,height=400'); newWindow.document.write('<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Usenet ASCII</TITLE></HEAD><BODY topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 BGCOLOR=#F1F1F1><table border=0 width=625><td bgcolor=midnightblue><font color=#F1F1F1>This Usenet message\'s original ASCII form: </font></td></tr><tr><td width=449><br><br><font face=courier><UL><PRE>\nRichard Saam wrote:\n> This is experimentally obvious but is there some intuitive explanation\n> why there is such a big difference in the wave length and the physical\n> dimension of a vibrating species interacting with that wave length?\n>\n> For instance, hydrocarbon alkanes with a physical dimension of 1E-9\n> meter are induced to vibrate with a incident electromagnetic wave length\n> of about 2E-5 meter. This is a ratio in lengths of about 20,000.\n>\n> What is the intuitive argument for this observed phenonenon?\n>\nThis reflects the the difference between the velocity of light and what is\neffectively the velocity of sound (mechanical vibration) within the\nmolecule.\n\n- Bill Frensley\n</UL></PRE></font></td></tr></table></BODY><HTML>');"> <IMG SRC=/images/buttons/ip.gif BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER ALT="View this Usenet post in original ASCII form">  View this Usenet post in original ASCII form </a></div><P></jabberwocky>Richard Saam wrote:
> This is experimentally obvious but is there some intuitive explanation
> why there is such a big difference in the wave length and the physical
> dimension of a vibrating species interacting with that wave length?
>
> For instance, hydrocarbon alkanes with a physical dimension of 1E-9
> meter are induced to vibrate with a incident electromagnetic wave length
> of about 2E-5 meter. This is a ratio in lengths of about 20,000.
>
> What is the intuitive argument for this observed phenonenon?
>
This reflects the the difference between the velocity of light and what is
effectively the velocity of sound (mechanical vibration) within the
molecule.

- Bill Frensley