The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. Measures how much light slows down.
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 Colour and The Optical Properties of Materials:...
A leaf looks green because chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light, reflecting the green. 2. Refraction The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another
Different colors bend at different angles (like a prism creating a rainbow). 3. Scattering Light is deflected in many directions by small particles. Polymers Long chains often allow light to pass through
Explains why clouds look white (larger water droplets scatter all wavelengths equally). 4. Interference and Iridescence