Clavister

Clavister t1_jam4prp wrote

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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Clavister t1_jak2z1x wrote

In 1987, I was a junior at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. Mayor Krotch came to our school to give us a plaque for being the most ethnically diverse school in Queens, which had to have meant that we were the most ethnically diverse school in the whole goddamn country. To his credit, he was willing to answer some questions from our student journalist body. One student asked why our school was so crowded, and he responded like a politician would, saying "Well, everybody wants to go to Newtown, don't you want to go to Newtown"? We booed him for giving a bullshit politician answer. I feel it is part of my proud heritage as a New Yorker that I got to personally boo the mayor when I wasn't even old enough to vote for him yet.

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Clavister t1_jaju669 wrote

What's the relationship between radiation, convection and conduction? Are they all just electrons exchanging energy with photons, where the only difference is whether the photons go directly between the substances or whether the atmosphere is involved? Do they happen in equal amounts whenever something is heated? I understand each phenomenon individually, but not how they fit together. It's not like atoms decide whether to engage in a quantum process or a regular Atomic one, is it? Sorry if my question doesn't make sense.

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