DNHS SHS Department PHYSICAL SCIENCE Quarter 2

NAME: ____________________________ GR/SECTION: ______________DATE: _____________

Summative test no. 6. Reflection, Refraction, Transmission, and Absorption of Light

Objective
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to describe what happens when light is reflected,
refracted, transmitted, and absorbed.
What happens to light when it interacts with matter?
When light interacts with matter, it can be reflected, refracted, transmitted, or absorbed.
Reflection
Reflection occurs when light bounces back as it hits a
reflecting surface, such as a mirror. This phenomenon can be
described using light rays.
The ray of light that hits the reflecting surface is called
an incident ray. After hitting the surface, it bounces off as
a reflected ray. The incident ray and the reflected ray form
angles with the normal line, which is a line perpendicular to the
reflecting surface. These angles are called angle of incidence and angle of reflection,
respectively.
The relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection is illustrated in the law
of reflection. This law states that the angle of incidence, the angle of reflection, and the normal
line are found on the same plane; and the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

Types of Reflection
There are two types of reflection: regular reflection and
irregular reflection.
Regular reflection, also known as specular
reflection occurs when light strikes a smooth surface
like a mirror, and light rays are reflected in one
direction.
Irregular reflection or diffuse reflection occurs when light strikes a rough surface, and light
rays are reflected in random directions.

Refraction
Refraction is the bending of light due to the change in its speed when it
obliquely passes two different media. When light travels from a medium
with a low refractive index to a medium with a higher refractive index, it
slows down and refracts closer to the normal line. On the other hand,
when light travels from a medium with a high refractive index to a
medium with a lower refractive index, it speeds up and refracts away
from the normal line.
The light ray that is entering a different medium is called the incident ray while the bent ray is
called the refracted ray.

Refractive index describes how light propagates through a medium. A higher refractive index
means the light propagates slower, and its direction changes more upon entering a medium. A
lower refractive index means the light travels faster, and its direction changes less upon entering a
medium.

Transmission
Transmission is the passing of light through a material without
being absorbed. For instance, an incoming light will just pass through
a glass window as transmitted light.

The extent of the transmission of light depends on the type of the

material the light strikes. Transparent and translucent materials
transmit light, but opaque materials do not. If light is not
transmitted, it may have been reflected or absorbed.

Absorption
Absorption of light occurs when light strikes a material,
and the energy that it carries is absorbed by the atoms of
the material and is converted into thermal energy.
White light is composed of different components of a
spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and
violet (ROYGBIV). When an object reflects all the
components of light, it appears white. However, when an
object absorbs all the components of light, it appears
black.
Selective absorption describes the tendency of an object to absorb specific frequencies of light.
An object that appears with a particular color means that the object absorbs most of the
frequencies and reflects only the color of the object. For instance, the leaf absorbs all the
frequencies of light except for green. The green color is reflected and perceived by the observer’s
eye.

PERFORMANCE TASK NO. 6

Get a number of colored pieces of cellophane and a flashlight. Then ask somebody to shine the
flashlight on the cellophane.
Answer the following questions:
1. What can you say about the color that passes through the cellophane and the color of the
cellophane used? _____________________________
2. What happened to the rest of the spectrum colors that you did not see?
_______________________
3. What do you think? ___________________________________________________
4. Can light be reflected and refracted at the same time?
_________________________________________________
Key Points
Reflection is the bouncing back of light when it strikes a surface.
Refraction is the bending of light due to the change in its speed when passing two different
media.
Transmission is the passing of light through a material without being absorbed.
Absorption of light occurs when light strikes a material, and the energy that it carries is absorbed
by the atoms of the material and is converted into thermal energy.
Questions
1. What do you call the bouncing of light as it strikes a surface?
A. Absorption B. reflection C. refraction D. transmission
2. What property of light changes when light obliquely passes through two different media?
A. color of light B. frequency of light C. speed of light D. wavelength of light
3. What type of reflection occurs when light strikes a smooth reflective surface?
A. diffuse reflection B. geometric reflection C. irregular reflection D. pecular reflection
4. When light is transmitted, what type of material does it strike on?
A. luminous B. opaque C. translucent D. transparent
5. A flower appears yellow. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. The yellow component of light that strikes the flower is absorbed while the rest are reflected.
B. The yellow component of light that strikes the flower is absorbed while the rest are refracted.
C. The yellow component of light that strikes the flower is reflected while the rest are absorbed.
D. The yellow component of light that strikes the flower is refracted while the rest are reflected.
6. Which of the following situations will cause light to bend?
A. When light strikes a reflective surface.
B. When light strikes a surface and is absorbed by the material.
C. When light strikes a surface and is completely transmitted.
D. When light strikes a surface obliquely and passes from one medium to another.
7. Which of the following describes how light behaves when it travels from a medium of low
refractive index to a medium with a higher refractive index?
A. As light travels from a medium of high refractive index to a lower refractive index, the light
slows down and refracts away from the normal line.
B. As light travels from a medium of low refractive index to a higher refractive index, the light
slows down and refracts closer to the normal line.
C. As light travels from a medium of low refractive index to a higher refractive index, the light
speeds up and refracts closer to the normal line.
D. As light travels from a medium of low refractive index to a higher refractive index, the light
speeds up and refracts away from the normal line.
8. What happens to light when it is absorbed by the material?
A. Light cannot be absorbed by any object. C. Light remains as light contained in the
material.
B. Light is converted into other forms of energy. D. Light vanishes into air.
9.A black object appears black because _.
A. all the components of light are absorbed by the object.
B. all the components of light are reflected by the object.
C. all the components of light are refracted by the object.
D. all the components of light are transmitted by the object.
E. Explanation
10. When light strikes an object, it appears white. This means that all the components of the light
is _.
A. absorbed B. diffused C. reflected D. refract.