Bill,
You have been spending a lot of time on the list of late, and I don't know
if I should encourage it.
The neat thing about the electromagnetic spectrum is its tremendous range
in wavelengths and that most effects can be scaled to different
wavelengths. You ask how a tiny atom can absorb a much larger scale light
wave. Scaling up to longer wavelengths, How does a tiny AM radio absorb a
much longer AM radio wave?
Just a thought.
Gary
Gary Karshner
St. Mary's University
San Antonio, Texas
KARSHNER@STMARYTX.EDU