Waves

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Colour of Light and Reflection

Colour of Light and Reflection

Visible light is a continuous range of colours that correspond to certain wavelengths. Objects have colour because they reflect certain wavelengths of light whilst absorbing the rest.

What do think colour is?

Different colours are associated to different types of light. Which properties of light waves do you think are responsible for their colour? Pick all the options below that you think are correct.

You can select multiple answers

Visible light is a continuous range of colours within the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.

We will study the EM spectrum in more detail in later lessons. For now, just know that it categorises all the wavelengths of light.

Which colour has the lowest frequency and the longest wavelength ?

What colour corresponds to light with a wavelength of $600nm$ ?

What do you think might determine the colour of a material?

What colour do you think materials are that absorb all frequencies of light?

What colour do you think materials are that reflect all frequencies of light?

So white is a combination of all the frequencies of visible light and black is the absence of all light. What do you think makes an object a certain colour, like blue?

Here is a summary of how materials are coloured.

White is a combination of all the frequencies of visible light.
Black is the absence of all light. Colour is light of a particular frequency.

What makes a material translucent?

Colour filters are translucent, meaning they only transmit some light. How do you think a material filters through a particular colour of light?

You can select multiple answers

Here we can see a green filter. The frequencies of light corresponding to green are being transmitted and all of the other frequencies of light are being...