Light travelling through glass.

[azzkika]

I know this isn't the first thread on this issue but I'm hoping some of you brainiacs can clear up something for me please.

I have been living under the understanding that light doesn't travel through glass but rather the glass itself replicates the emf. I learned this a many years back from some people I regard as pretty smart but I have since read numerous topics about light traveling through glass written by pretty smart people as well.

So... Does light actually travel through glass or not?

 

[Khashishi]

Is this just a semantics question? Light within the glass is partially electromagnetic wave, partially matter wave. Surely, if light appears on the other side, it has traveled through it, right?

 

[Ryoko]

From my understanding, visible light passes thru glass because the photons are too low in energy to jump the energy state of the electrons in the material. However, that doesn't really explain why glass reflects infrared energy.