We went for a heritage open day at Conishead Priory, Ulverston. It is a Buddhist centre. They have lovingly repaired the old stately home and built a modern temple in the grounds. It was the light reflecting that I noticed. So today's question was "why is metal shiny?" I knew that it was because metal has free electrons. But Internet searches reveal that the full answer requires a full understanding of quantum mechanics. My degree is in Engineering Science, so the explanations are a little beyond me. Try this: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6530.0 It's a wonderful website put up by Cambridge science enthusiasts. My normal teaching involves simple atoms like hydrogen. An incoming photon of light would excite an electron up several energy levels. It would de-excite and release a photon. But in metals, there are many free electrons. They occupy energy bands rather that precise levels, so the situation is more complicated. I do like the explanation that says that the emission is because the electrons move to cancel the electric field induced by the incident electromagnetic wave.
This photograph was deliberately staged. I wanted to capture the reflection from the bronze statue, but also the reflection in the glass. It shows that glass is partially reflective. Some photons are reflected but some are transmitted.
