Thread: Stupid Question from 7th Grade

When I was in middle school I asked this very odd question: If we were able to physically see atoms what color would they be? She laughed and replied: atoms don't have color. Yeah, you can make fun of me all you want (I was never a science person) but I wanted to know if this is true because I can't conceive matter devoid of color in the presence of light.

From the way I understand it, we see color because of a substance's ability to absorb or reflect certain wavelengths of light. We see an object as blue, because it reflects that wavelength, and absorbs the others.

A single atom is much smaller than the wavelength of light, and would be too small to relfect or absorb it fully.

I could be wrong...I'm sure someone will correct me if I am.

In order to see something with light, the object has to be bigger than the wavelength of the light. That's why there's a limit to how much you can magnify something with a normal microscope, and have to switch to something like an electron microscope to see really small things. Since an individual atom is much smaller than the wavelength of visible light, you wouldn't be able to see it. So rather than saying "it has no color" it would probably be better to say "it's invisible".

there is no such thing as a stupid question.

either you find out you know, or you learn it. win win

Scifor, that makes sense. Much better answer than my 7th grade physical science teacher. And to goodgod3rd, I just figured everyone here knew more about science and would find it an elementary question but I'm glad I received a good response..thanks!