Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Effects of Incident Light
- Opaque and Transparent Objects
- Reflection in Opaque Objects
- Types of Reflection
- Summary
- Did You Know?
- What’s Next?
In the previous segment, we learned that light travels in a straight line with the help of an experiment. In this segment, we will learn about the reflection of light. But, first let’s understand what happens when light falls on the surface of any object.
What happens when light is incident on the surface of any object?
Three things can occur when light is incident on the surface of any object.
- Absorption – when the light goes inside the surface of an object and never comes out.
- Reflection – when the light bounces back from the surface of an object.
- Transmission – when the light enters the object from its surface and leaves the object from somewhere else.
All three things can occur simultaneously when light is incident on the surface of any object,
i.e. some part of the light gets absorbed, some part is reflected and some part gets transmitted.
What are Opaque and Transparent objects?
There are many factors that determine how much light will be absorbed, transmitted and reflected by the surface of an object. The most prominent one is the material of an object.
On the basis of material, objects can be classified into different types but here we will be discussing only the two types of objects.
- Opaque objects – objects that mostly reflect or absorb light. They do not allow the light to pass through them. Eg:- wall, sponge, etc.
- Transparent objects – objects that transmit light through them. They allow the light to pass through them. Eg:- glass, water, etc.
Let us understand two different kinds of reflection by considering the reflection of light from two different opaque objects, a mirror and a wall.
