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Absorption and Reflection
When light strikes an object, a variety of things happen to the light. The object can absorb the light and turn it into heat. The object can reflect the light. Reflection is when the electromagnetic radiation travels in a different direction after striking an object. Electromagnetic radiation comes from the interaction between electric fields and magnetic fields. Some objects also transmit the light. With transmission, the electromagnetic radiation passes through the medium. The level of absorbance of a light frequency into the object is measured by the ratio of radiant power that enters the object to the total amount of radiant power.
Light and Object Interaction
The frequency and nature of the atoms in the light influences how the light interacts with the object. The object's color comes from the wavelengths it absorbs or reflects. If an object is black, it absorbs all wavelengths equally. If an object is white, it reflects all wavelengths evenly. Wavelengths corresponding to different colors reflect in varying directions when they strike objects. When people send light through prisms, they see lights reflect in multiple directions due to this characteristic.
Doppler Effect
When light strikes an object, even if it's traveling in one direction, the reflecting object scatters it in a process called diffusion. The processes of reflection, transmission and scattering do not change the radiation frequency. The only exception is with the Doppler Effect, which happens when the surface is in motion and a frequency strikes the moving object.
Wavelength Characteristics
Light consists of electromagnetic waves. The eyes can pick up certain visible waves, but many other waves aren't detectable by the human eye, such as high-frequency rays, x-rays, ultraviolet light, infrared lights, radio waves and microwaves. When electromagnetic waves strike objects, they interact with these objects in ways that depend on the wave's frequency. The frequency of the electromagnetic wave depends on its length. Waves that are high-frequency have short wavelengths and waves that are low-frequency have long wavelengths.
Light and Temperature
Light increases the temperature of an object. As a result, some colors cause objects to heat up more, while other colors keep objects from heating up. For example, people living in warm climates often color their homes and cars in bright colors to reflect light.