Absorption of light is the process that leads to the consumption of a portion of the energy possessed by the light radiations falling on the surface of the object. The absorption of light generally takes place at the interface or the boundary of two different materials. When the light radiations fall on the surface of an object, a portion of the energy contained by the waves passes on to the particles of the substance. This increases the value of internal energy possessed by the particles of the object.
Examples of Objects That Absorb Light
There are a number of objects present in our daily life that are capable of absorbing light. Some of them include:
1. Opaque Objects
The opaque objects such as wood, coal, organic matter, etc. form the perfect example of objects that are capable of absorbing light radiations.
2. Black Objects
Black colour is usually considered to be a good absorbent of light radiations. The light falling on the surface of a black coloured object does not bounce away, but instead, it gets absorbed. This is the reason why black clothes are generally avoided during the summers or in regions of high temperatures. Vantablack is the darkest known material that is capable of absorbing approximately 99.98% of the light falling on its surface.
3. Coloured Objects
The absorption of light is the phenomenon that enables us to visualize different colours present in nature. When a ray of light falls on the surface of an object, a portion of the wavelength contained by the light gets absorbed by the object, while a part of the wavelength possessed by it gets reflected. Different value of the wavelengths present in the light radiation corresponds to different colours. The wavelengths absorbed by the object are not visible to our eyes, while the reflected wavelengths help us identify the colour of the substance.
things air can move