A shirt looks green in white light. What is happening to the light that lands on it?
AGreen is absorbed, the rest reflected
BAll colours are absorbed by the shirt
CAll colours are reflected by the shirt
DGreen is reflected, the rest absorbed
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Green is reflected, the rest absorbed
1. White light carries every colour of the spectrum at once.
2. When light lands on a surface, some colours are absorbed and some reflected.
3. Only the reflected light travels on to reach our eyes.
4. A shirt that looks green must be reflecting the green light back.
5. Every other colour in the white light is being absorbed by the cloth.
6. A surface that absorbed every colour would reflect nothing and look black.
7. A surface that reflected every colour would look white.
_Source: Siyavula Natural Sciences Grade 8 (CC BY 4.0), Absorption of light_
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