I understand that light of different wavelengths reflected is what gives off color but what determines which wavelengths, a table, for example, will reflect or absorb? Is it something encoded in the table itself or is it the light that communicates the color?
Why do some things absorb all wavelengths turning them black while others reflect all turning them white?
In: 7
It’s because of the electrons in the atoms on the surface of an object. Photons of light all have a certain amount of energy. The color of the light is determined by energy. Red light has less energy than blue, for example. Electrons also have a certain energy, but because electrons are spooky, they can only exist at very specific energy values. Never a value in between. When a photon of the exact right energy hits an electron, it will be absorbed by the electron, and the electron will “jump” to the next energy level. Then, the electron will release the energy, producing a photon again with the same energy as the one that originally impacted it. This photon then hits your eyes, and you interpret this as color. When a photon and electron don’t have an energy that “matches” in this way, they don’t interact, and the light will just sort of pass through or be scattered. So it doesn’t reach your eye as much. The net effect is that when you wear a yellow shirt, the energy of light corresponding to that shade of yellow is continually absorbed and re-emitted by your shirt. I hope this helps!
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