Materials and Their Effect on Light

Materials and Their Effect on Light

Open Ended

Do you like taking pictures with your phone? How do you make your pictures look nice?

Light is a form of energy.

It is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that radiates from the sun.

Light can reflect or bounce off objects.

Our eyes detect the bouncing light, and this is how we see.

Materials can transmit, absorb, or reflect light.

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Light

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Can you make fire with water? How do you think this can be done?

When light passes through a transparent material, it is called transmitted light.

Transparent materials like plastic and glass allow almost all of the light to pass through.

We use transparent glass for windows in our cars and buildings.

Transparent glass is also used for eyeglasses, light fixtures, and aquariums.

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Transmission of Light

Translucent materials scatter the light that passes through them.

Frosted glass, tinted glass, and wax paper are examples of translucent materials.

Translucent glass is used in bathrooms, medicine bottles, and sheer curtains.

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Transmission of Light

Instead of letting light pass through, opaque materials absorb light.

When light is absorbed it becomes heat energy.

Building materials, and packaging materials are opaque materials.

Materials like brick and cement not only absorb light, but also reflect them.

Packaging materials are opaque to protect and secure their contents.

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Absorption of Light

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How can you see your reflection in the mirror, but not on the wall?

When light hits an object, it bounces.

Shiny objects bounce light in the same angle that it is hit by light.

This bouncing of light is called reflection.

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Reflection of Light

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Why do you think it helps to wear shades during sunny days