The statement that best explains the difference between the interaction of light with clear glass and silver metal is:
- Light slows down when it interacts with glass but not when it interacts with metal.
This is because when light enters a material like glass, it slows down due to the change in the speed of light in that medium compared to its speed in a vacuum. This change in speed is due to the optical density of the material. On the other hand, when light interacts with a metal like silver, it does not slow down in the same way as in glass because metals have free electrons that can easily absorb and re-emit light, allowing it to propagate without significant slowdown.
Understanding this difference in how light behaves when interacting with different materials like glass and metal is essential in the study of optics and materials science.
