Submitted by AutoModerator t3_11f5wzd in askscience
Clavister t1_jam4prp wrote
Reply to comment by Triabolical_ in Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science by AutoModerator
Right, I understand each individual phenomenon, but, for example, how does an entire atom moving faster result in the electron(s) of that atom emitting photons? And, conversely, how does a photon being absorbed by an electron become the entire atom vibrating with a little more energy? Shouldn't the electron receiving the photon just jump up a quantum level, then back down again when it in turn emits a photon, rather than any of that activity somehow making the entire atom vibrate more? This is what I'm missing...
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