this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2023
576 points (96.5% liked)
Comic Strips
12130 readers
792 users here now
Comic Strips is a community for those who love comic stories.
The rules are simple:
- The post can be a single image, an image gallery, or a link to a specific comic hosted on another site (the author's website, for instance).
- The comic must be a complete story.
- If it is an external link, it must be to a specific story, not to the root of the site.
- You may post comics from others or your own.
- If you are posting a comic of your own, a maximum of one per week is allowed (I know, your comics are great, but this rule helps avoid spam).
- The comic can be in any language, but if it's not in English, OP must include an English translation in the post's 'body' field (note: you don't need to select a specific language when posting a comic).
- Politeness.
- Adult content is not allowed. This community aims to be fun for people of all ages.
Web of links
- [email protected]: "I use Arch btw"
- [email protected]: memes (you don't say!)
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
While it’s true that atoms emit light in specific wavelengths when excited electrons drop energy levels, this isn’t the phenomenon most children would associate with something “having a color”. If you shine a white light at a yellow piece of paper, the paper would appear yellow and be described as yellow. If you shine a green light at yellow paper, it appears green, but most children would still say the paper is “yellow paper” that just looks green because of the light.
Similarly, if you ask what the natural color of a TV screen is, I think most people would say “black” even though depending on the state of the components inside it can produce different colors.
By extension, hydrogen atoms’ color would be naturally black, but if you energize it properly it can emit reddish light. That still doesn’t mean the atoms themselves have a reddish color.
(Not the same person)
I disagree, but I appreciate the reasoning behind your opinion.
If a lot of water molecules look blue, then what, if not the water molecules, have that color? Just because it's faint doesn't make it colorless. (Water is molecules, but the same applies to atoms)
Edit: also I would definitely call a low pressure sodium lamp orange, even if it requires electricity to run it.
Hydrogen atom color white would be blue. That's why our atmosphere is blue.