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Key Words ‘transparent ‘transmit ‘translucent opaque absorption reflection refraction prism lens mirror Like sound, light is a form of energy that travels, in waves. The waves travel in straight paths. They travel away from a source, such as the sun or a light bull, in all directions. In this lesson, you will learn how light waves behave when they strike or pass through different materials. Types of Materials When light strikes an object, its behavior depends on the material it strikes. A transparent material is one that light passes through easily, such as clear glass and pure water. These materials transmit light, or allow its passage. Translucent materials, such as wax paper, scatter the light that they transmit. You cannot see clearly through translucent materials. Opaque materials, such as wood and metal, block light completely. You cannot see at all through opaque materials because they absorb, or take in, all the light that strikes them. Absorption When a material takes in light energy, the material changes the light energy into heat energy. This pypcess is called absorption. All materials absorb some light. But dull materials absorb more light than shiny ones. Also, dark-colored materials usually absorb more light than light-colored ones. On a sunny summer day, you will feel warmer if you wear a black shirt than if you wear a white shirt. The black shirt will change more light to heat. Lesson 11: Light Did You Knowe Unlike sound waves, light waves can travel through empty space. If they could not, sunlight + * could not reach Earth. Reflection Instead of being absorbed, light tends to bounce off a white shirt. The bouncing of light off of a surface is called reflection. Everything we see reflects some light. The light bounces off the surface of the object and into our eyes. Look at the diagrams below. The diagram on the left shows how a very smooth surface, such as a mirror, reflects light. We can see images of things in a mirror or on the surface of very still water. But most surfaces scatter light, or reflect it in many different directions. The diagram on the right shows how a surface scatters light. vara Reflection Refraction When light passes through one material into another, the light changes direction. This bending of light is called refraction. Refraction happens because the speed of light changes as it moves from one material to another. Many materials cause the refraction of light. Clear plastic, glass, and water all refraict light. If you put a pencil in a glass of water, the pencil looks broken. This is because the water refracts the light. Refraction Prisms and Colors Look at the diagram of a prism below. A prism is a piece of clear glass or plastic in the shape of a three-dimensional triangle. A prism refracts light. A prism shows that white light is made up of many different colors. When white light enters the prism, the light slows down. But different colors of light travel through the prism at different speeds, so the prism refracts each color differently. The prism bends each color by a different amount. In the diagram below, you can see that red light is bent less than orange light. Orange light is bent less than yellow light. The prism separates white light into all the colors of the rainbow. White light Orange \ Yellow < Green} Spectrum — Blue ‘Aprism separates white light into its individual colors. Seeing Color When light strikes an object, some light waves are absorbed, and some are scattered, or reflected in all directions. The colors we see are not in objects themselves. Instead, colors are the way we see scattered light. Different materials absorb more light of certain colors and scatter more light of other colors. A blue balloon does not scatter just blue light. But it scattersa combination of colors that our eyes and brains recognize as blue. A banana scatters more light that we see as yellow. Black objects absorb most colors of light. White objects scatter most colors of light.

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