Absorption, Reflection, and Color
NOTES
Absorbing and Emitting Light
 White paper _______________ and then
_______________ photons of
_______________ colors of light.
 Black ink _______________ the photons
of _______________ colors and emits
_______________.
Absorbing vs. Reflecting Materials
 _______________ - allow _______________ light to pass through them
 _______________ - allow _______________ light to pass through, but some is absorbed and some is
reflected
 _______________ - do not allow any light to pass through, but instead _______________ or
_______________ all light.
Colors of Light
 White light is a combination of the _______________ of colors, each having different
_______________.
 When combined, the three primary light colors of _______________, _______________, and
_______________ will produce white light.
 In other combinations, they will produce other colors.
Why do we see colors?
 _______________ reflect color of light that we see. So… a shirt that has been dyed to appear red is
only red because it _______________ mostly red light and absorbs most of the other two primary light
colors of blue and green. So that shirt must contain cyan pigment.
 When mixed, the _______________ pigments create the _______________ pigments (red, blue, and
green).
Examples
 White light is incident on the three shapes below. Explain why they appear to be the color they are by
using reflected and absorbed colors as well as identifying which pigments must be present in the
object.
_______________ color is seen.
_______________ and
_______________ light are reflected,
Blue light is _______________.
_______________ pigment must be
present.
_______________ color is seen.
Blue light is reflected,
_______________ and
_______________ light are
absorbed. _______________
pigment must be present.
_______________ color is seen.
_______________ and
_______________ light are
reflected, Green light is absorbed.
_______________ pigment must
be present.
What’s the difference between light and pigments?
 Unlike light, pigments are referred to as _______________ colors. For instance, when you mix the
primary pigments of yellow and cyan, the color of green is what you will see. That is because green
pigment _______________ the light with colors of _______________ and _______________ and
_______________ back only _______________.
Polarized Light
 Normal, _______________ light (just like all electromagnetic radiation) vibrates in _______________
dimensions as it travels.
 _______________ light consists of waves vibrating in a _______________ particular plane.
Polarization is done by using VERY small filters (slits) that block vibrations from other planes.
 Application of Polarization – sunglasses polarized to reduce _______________ reflected off water or
off the road