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Holocene
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Basically, isn't it safe to say that a single atom is colorless, and that color can only be perceived once multiple atoms are arranged in a manner that will reflect and absorb certain wavelengths of visible light?
SpitfireAce said:uh uh, we've shone monochromatic lasers at isolated atoms and they do have color
Danger said:Welcome to PF, Acidbath.
I might be getting hung up on semantics. There's certainly no dispute that an electron returning to ground state emits at a certain frequency (hence lasers). My original response was based upon the fact that I don't consider it to be a colour until someone sees it. It's sort of like the difference between 'sound' and 'noise'. Since an individual atom is far too small to be seen optically, I think of it as colourless. This is purely a personal opinion, though.
AcidBathSDMF said:Thanks for the welcome, I hope to enjoy a long stay.
An atom is the smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element. It is composed of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons, and electrons that orbit the nucleus.
The color of an object is determined by the way its atoms interact with light. When light hits an object, some of its wavelengths are absorbed and some are reflected. The reflected wavelengths are what we perceive as color.
Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks or troughs of a wave. It is commonly used to measure the size of electromagnetic waves, including visible light.
The wavelength of light determines its color. Shorter wavelengths appear blue, while longer wavelengths appear red. The visible spectrum, or the range of colors we can see, is between 400-700 nanometers.
Each color has a different wavelength because each color corresponds to a different amount of energy. For example, red light has a longer wavelength and lower energy compared to blue light, which has a shorter wavelength and higher energy.