Transparent vs Opaque: Why are Some Objects Different?

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The transparency or opacity of materials is determined by their energy band structure and how they interact with photons. Materials can absorb photons if their energy matches specific resonant transitions, leading to transparency or opacity depending on the light spectrum. For instance, glass is transparent to visible light but opaque to infrared radiation. This behavior varies across different materials and wavelengths. Understanding these interactions is key to explaining why some objects are transparent while others are not.
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why are some things transparent like glass and others opaque like some metals or plastics?
thank you
 
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It all depends on the energy band structure of the solid. A given photon has a high probability of being absorbed if it matches some type of resonant transitions within the solid. Whether a material is transparent or opaque thus depends on what part of the spectrum you are interested in.

Take glass for an example. It is transparent in the visible, yet it is opaque in the infrared.

Claude.
 

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