does an object’s microscopic topography determine which colors it reflects back?
In: Physics
It’s an interesting question. For most pigments, it comes from absorption by a specific molecule. This is how your Red 40 in your candy works. Pigmentation is a name for coloration through a single chemical that absorbs light and then reflects only a specific wavelength back.
However, there are many things in nature that are not colored that way, they are colored by tiny structures that reflect light differently depending how they are. It’s called structural coloration and it is found throughout nature. Look at: birds. See all those pretty and colorful birds? None of that is from pigmentation, it’s all from structural coloration of the feathers. They are far from the only example, but a good one since they come in all kinds of colors.
Latest Answers