Light always travels in a straight line. But..can it be diverted? To divert light we need a transparent material. (glass, plastic…) Light travels in a straight line in one material. Light is diverted when it travels from one material to another. This phenomenon is called REFRACTION. Refraction is the change in direction of a ray of light, caused by the change in the ray’s speed. Refraction is seen most often when a ray passes from one transparent medium to another transparent medium. Different types of medium include air and water. For example, when a light ray travels through air and then passes into water, the ray will slow and change direction.
This is what we have learned with the experiment: Materials can be classified based on the amount of light they transmit. Transparent objects: Materials, which allow complete transmission of light are called transparent. Any object can be seen through a transparent material. Glass is a transparent material. Opaque objects: Opaque materials reflect or absorb any incident light. As a result light cannot pass through opaque materials. Wood, stone...are opaque materials. Translucent objects: Translucent materials allow partial transmission of light through them. A part of the incident light may get reflected or scattered, as it passes through the interior of the material. Any object, seen through a translucent material , appears fuzzy. Some examples are tissue, some plastics…
We use our own and third-party cookies for analytical and technical purposes; processing data necessary for the creation of profiles based on your browsing habits.
You can get more information and configure your preferences from 'Cookie settings'.
Return 