Catarang Wrote:I was wondering when someone with a different viewpoint would come in. Early in the morning when I posted must have summoned the more mystical.But yeah, it sounds funky to me myself, but if you sort of think about it, if crystals can refract light, it could be possible for them to hold energy too? At least in my head.
I'm pretty sure energy isn't used in any type of refraction formulas I've dealt with so far. If I recall correctly, the phenomenon of refraction occurs when you have light coming from one medium with a certain refractive index heading into another medium with a different refractive index. More or less it should be Snell's Law from which I haven't observed any need to use potential or kinetic energy. Except for the speed of light on occasion.
Additionally pure light should be every single wavelength. When it passes visible objects, it specifically reflects off a specific wavelength of light that gives it the color that you see from the stone. Apparently even though this concept holds true for various biological systems such as choloroplasts within a plant (the chlorophyll reflects green light), gems don't completely reflect the color of choice (ex emeralds don't absorb everything but green light) otherwise they'd be way too dark in color. Therefore it's a mix of both reflection and refraction that give gems and crystals their definitive colors. Also most gems are inorganic in the sense that they have been discovered in lava faults or other types of extreme environment where they have formed along rock formations that existed for thousands of years. Organic gemstones are often regarded as gems that are obtained from previous living organisms that have died. Examples include coral, pearls, ivory, and amber. Even though a distinction is made between the two types, they are both regarded as nonliving inanimate objects by most scientists.