Why dont particles of a transparent medium scatter light?
Transparent is usually used in relation to light wavelegnths that are detectable. For example, flesh is not transparent to us, but it IS transparent to X-rays. Physically, transparency is explained by electron energy levels. The quantum energies of the incident photons must match available energy level gaps in order to be absorbed. For example, glass is transparent to visible light because electrons in it have no available energy levels above them in the range of the quantum energies of visible photons. The result is light coming through glass without absorption.
