Colour And The Optical Properties Of Materials:... May 2026

The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. Measures how much light slows down.

Solar cells are engineered to maximize light absorption. Colour and The Optical Properties of Materials:...

Microscopic patterns in butterfly wings or peacock feathers cancel out some colors and amplify others. 🏗️ Material Classes Material Type Typical Interaction Visual Result Metals High electron density reflects almost all light. Shiny, opaque, often "silvery." Semiconductors Absorption depends on "band gap" energy. Can be transparent (glass) or opaque (silicon). Polymers Long chains often allow light to pass through. Usually transparent or translucent unless dyed. 💡 Practical Applications The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another

Use total internal reflection to carry data over long distances. Microscopic patterns in butterfly wings or peacock feathers

A leaf looks green because chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light, reflecting the green. 2. Refraction

Different colors bend at different angles (like a prism creating a rainbow). 3. Scattering Light is deflected in many directions by small particles.

Color is not an inherent property of an object, but rather a result of how it treats specific wavelengths of visible light.