How Light Behaves in Different Materials

When light strikes a medium, the light can be reflected, absorbed or

transmitted. There are three types of materials that can affect the behavior
of light. Materials can be transparent, translucent, or opaque.

1. Reflection refers to the bouncing back of light when it hits an object.

Some objects with uneven surfaces like rocks, reflect light in scattered way.

2. Refraction refers to the bending of light as it passes through different

materials. The straw in a glass of water appears bent because of the
different parts of the material that interact with light.

3. Absorption refers to a material’s taking in of light and not reflecting it

back. For example, when light strikes a black surface, it is absorbed by the
surface and nothing is reflected.

4. Transmission refers to the passing of light through some materials.

When light passes through a glass window, it is transmitted to the other
side, allowing the light to pass through.
White light is made up of wavelengths of light, and each wavelength is a
particular color. When white light strikes an object, each individual color of
white light is transmitted, reflected, or absorbed, depending on the
properties of the surface molecules. If all the colors are absorbed by the
object, then it appears black. If all the colors are reflected, then it appears
white.