[alancalverd]

"Absorbed by an electron" is one root of his many misconceptions.

[McQueen (OP)]

You seemed to be saying a 500 nm photon is 'to big' to be absorbed by an electron, which is wrong and silly.  Perhaps I was mistaken about what you meant.  So is there some other reason you said, "How is this possible?"

Yes, 500 nm photon is nowhere near 5.6 billion times bigger, more like 168 million times bigger.

[hamdani yusuf]

"Absorbed by an electron" is one root of his many misconceptions.

How does it supposed to be interpreted?

[Origin]

Yes, 500 nm photon is nowhere near 5.6 billion times bigger, more like 168 million times bigger.

There is no such thing as a photon having a size of 500 nm.  A photon with a wave length of 500 nm is not 500 nm long.  I'm not sure where you got that idea but you should discard it as soon as possible

[hamdani yusuf]

A photon with a wave length of 500 nm is not 500 nm long.

How does it supposed to be interpreted?

[Origin]

How does it supposed to be interpreted?

Photons have a frequency.  That frequency is the rate at which the magnetic and electric field of the photon oscillate from a maximum to a minimum and back to a maximum.  The higher the frequency the higher the energy carried by the photon.  A photon with a wave length of 500nm means the photon has a frequency of about 6 x 10^14 cycles per second.
Therefore this means when when a photon has traveled the distance of 500nm the magnetic and electric fields will have completed one cycle (such as a maximum to maximum).  So the wave length has absolutely nothing to do with the size or length of the photon, it only addresses the rate of the oscillating fields.

[McQueen (OP)]

Yes, 500 nm photon is nowhere near 5.6 billion times bigger, more like 168 million times bigger.

There is no such thing as a photon having a size of 500 nm.  A photon with a wave length of 500 nm is not 500 nm long.  I'm not sure where you got that idea but you should discard it as soon as possible

Wavelength does seem to matter in certain situations, take the Faraday cage, but of course in Faraday's cage the currents just circulate on the skin of the metal, (i.e., they are offered an alternative pathway.). But in microwaves making the grid approximate the microwave size seems to work well. So I was just assuming that maybe  there was some correlation. Again, if  wave-length of a photon means the peak to peak measurement of the wave-form, couldn't it also be taken to mean the wave-length of the photon. Just asking?

[hamdani yusuf]

That frequency is the rate at which the magnetic and electric field of the photon oscillate from a maximum to a minimum and back to a maximum.

FYI, circularly polarized light has a constant amplitude of electric field when propagating as a plane wave. Only the orientation rotates.

[Origin]

Wavelength does seem to matter in certain situations

Sure wave length / frequency matters, it just has nothing to do with the size of a photon.  The wave length is about the oscillating magnetic and electric fields of the photon it has nothing to do with the size or length of a photon.

[Origin]

FYI, circularly polarized light has a constant amplitude of electric field when propagating as a plane wave. Only the orientation rotates.

Which has nothing to do with this discussion, please don't bring in unrelated topics just to confuse yourself.

[Origin]

This, in spite of many illogicalities and oversights.

I get it, you don't like Quantum physics it's too weird.
Actually, you are in good company, most of the physicist who developed quantum mechanics didn't like it!  They kept scratcher their heads and saying this can't be right after each new discovery.  But if the theory matches the observations and makes accurate predictions then it must be explaining the phenomena correctly.
I think it is safe to say most physicist were 'kicking and screaming' as they were forced to accept the reality of quantum physics. 

[Origin]

How does it supposed to be interpreted?

You asked this question and I answered it.  As typical you then jumped to a new subject without acknowledging the answer provided.  So I'm just curious did you accept the answer or reject it?

[hamdani yusuf]

How does it supposed to be interpreted?

Photons have a frequency.  That frequency is the rate at which the magnetic and electric field of the photon oscillate from a maximum to a minimum and back to a maximum.  The higher the frequency the higher the energy carried by the photon.  A photon with a wave length of 500nm means the photon has a frequency of about 6 x 10^14 cycles per second.
Therefore this means when when a photon has traveled the distance of 500nm the magnetic and electric fields will have completed one cycle (such as a maximum to maximum).  So the wave length has absolutely nothing to do with the size or length of the photon, it only addresses the rate of the oscillating fields.

Light only travels at c through vacuum. In other media, it travels slower, and the wavelength reduced accordingly, with the same frequency. It does have something to do with length, as the name correctly suggests.

[Origin]

Light only travels at c through vacuum. In other media, it travels slower, and the wavelength reduced accordingly, with the same frequency. It does have something to do with length, as the name correctly suggests.

I contend that you are 100% wrong.   
Please supply any reputable source (not a youtube) that says the size of a photon has anything to do with the wave length of the photon.

[hamdani yusuf]

Light only travels at c through vacuum. In other media, it travels slower, and the wavelength reduced accordingly, with the same frequency. It does have something to do with length, as the name correctly suggests.

I contend that you are 100% wrong.   
Please supply any reputable source (not a youtube) that says the size of a photon has anything to do with the wave length of the photon.

You can do the experiment yourself. Don't depend too much on the authority.

[Origin]

You can do the experiment yourself.

So you couldn't find any citations that support your idea that the frequency of a photon's magnetic and electric fields somehow dictate it's size.  Imagine my surprise.

Don't depend too much on the authority.

Don't worry yourself, I don't.  I suppose you don't go to the doctor when your sick because that would be appealing to authority?
Why do you enjoy being complete confused about everything scientific?
What I wrote about the nonexistent relationship between a photon size and it's wavelength is correct.  I realize that if you accepted that it would decrease your confusion and I guess that would make you unhappy or something.  Odd.

[alancalverd]

A photon doesn't have a size. It is a mathematical concept: an infinitesimal massless blob travelling at speed c with no other properties than energy and momentum.

[hamdani yusuf]

You can do the experiment yourself.

So you couldn't find any citations that support your idea that the frequency of a photon's magnetic and electric fields somehow dictate it's size.  Imagine my surprise.

Don't depend too much on the authority.

Don't worry yourself, I don't.  I suppose you don't go to the doctor when your sick because that would be appealing to authority?
Why do you enjoy being complete confused about everything scientific?
What I wrote about the nonexistent relationship between a photon size and it's wavelength is correct.  I realize that if you accepted that it would decrease your confusion and I guess that would make you unhappy or something.  Odd.

You can learn about metamaterials, and you'll find that their unit sizes depend on the wavelength of the light or electromagnetic wave.

If you imagine a photon of radio wave as a giant sized ball, then you will be confused by its implications. But experiments clearly show that wavelength of EM waves determines their size of influence in space. The difference is that you don't accept that size of influence to be called photon size.

[hamdani yusuf]

A photon doesn't have a size. It is a mathematical concept: an infinitesimal massless blob travelling at speed c with no other properties than energy and momentum.

How does it interact with Faraday cages and metamaterials?

[Origin]

But experiments clearly show that wavelength of EM waves determines their size of influence in space.

Great.  Could you please provide a link to one of these experiments?