Re: COLLISION 2

["Michael N. Monce" <mnmon@CONNCOLL.EDU>]

On Sun, 28 Nov 1999, Jim Green wrote:

> Energy can be increased or decreased but it can't be "transferred".
>
> JIm

        Despite you insisting on this, I still don't see how you can make
such a statement.

        Webster's gives: transfer   a) to convey from one place to
another: TRANSPORT, b) to cause to pass from one to another: TRANSMIT , c)
TRANSFORM, CHANGE.

        A photon leaves the sun with h-nu of energy, travels through
space, strikes the surface of the earth and is absorbed by an atom.

Questions:
        1) Didn't the internal energy of the sun decrease (change) by
           h-nu?

        2) Didn't the internal energy of the earth increase (change) by
           h-nu?

        3) How did this happen if the photon did not transfer the energy?
(see a) and b) and c) above).


                Mike Monce
                Connecticut College
                (who does not wish to face a New England winter without
some energy tranference  :)  )