Let's say white light is incident on an orange. It absorbs wavelengths via the excitation of the atoms within the molecule that gives it pigment, but how do these molecules reflect that orange wavelength light? Also, what happens to the absorbed wavelengths that are not reflected, do they get converted into IR waves?
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2Does this answer your question? Explain reflection laws at the atomic level – Jon Custer Feb 22 '22 at 21:42
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It either describes how mirrors do it or how glass lets light through but now how it is reflected by opaque objects. If opaque objects reflect light by absorbing the appropriate wavelengths and then re-emitting them, what happens to the wavelengths that are not reflected and are absorbed? I would have imagined that the process i just described applies to light absorption not reflection. – Tomislav Feb 23 '22 at 17:04