A totally random scientific question for y'all

[Discordian 6,018]

Why is it that something that is transparent, something you can see through clearly, gets darker and harder to see through the thicker it gets?

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,529]

We haven't reached the optics unit in physics yet, but I think I know why that is.

 

A truly transparent object would be completely invisible, as it would not obstruct light passing through it at all. The particles in something like glass allow most of the light to travel through, but still absorb a number of them. A small number, yes, but still something. Even air, which is usually accepted as transparent, becomes difficult to see through once you've got 50,000 km of it stacked up (e.g.: the atmosphere).

 

But again, my formal education in optical physics is quite limited, so this is purely my own hypothesis.

[Spock 91]

Cause it's never completely see through. Let's say it's at it's thinnest, so 0.0000...1 percent of light is blocked, though it may be imperceptible. As it gets thicker, more light is blocked, so in theory, if you had the impossible 100 percent thick piece, no light could come through.

 

Ninja'd. Oh well. Now stop troll science-ing us.

Edited December 3, 2011 by THEj

[Tyger 213]

Well, if you ask Bill Nye the Science Guy, he will gladly tell you.

[Discordian 6,018]

I never got past Biology in school, I wanted to get into Physics and Philosophy but Biology was a prerequisite and I sucked at Biology.

 

Thank you for the answers, at least I understand it. xD

[Oblivion 20,281]

Possibly the atoms that makes it up becomes more "stacked" making it harder to see through?