thanks :smile: You cleared a lot of things up for me. May I ask though, HOW does it increase the mean energy level? Is there a scientific explanation behind it, or is it just accepted that it does?
I'm sorry, I have no physics background. I was told to come here from a biology forum because it was more physics related. While looking for an answer to my original question, this result (the paragraph) came up from what seemed to be a reliable source. I do understand the three forms of heat...
I have a question related to this paragraph. What causes the atoms to vibrate?"Light from the sun excites electrons in the atoms which constitute the brick wall. How does that electronic energy get converted to heat, you ask. The key is 'radiationless transitions.' Here's how it works: the atoms...
In my textbook, it states that the electrons absorb the light and cause it to become 'excited'. Electrons in a excited state are rather unstable so in a few nanoseconds would return to ground state. Then, it says that heat is released. Is it the emission of photons that causes the brick to be...
Is the reason behind the vibrating the movement of electrons from a stable to a excited state?
My quest for knowledge began with this question..."How exactly does light transform into heat--for instance, when sunlight warms up a brick wall? I understand that electrons in the atoms in the wall...