Light is an electromagnetic wave, so it can fly through empty space. When it hits things it can bounce, bend, or get soaked up — and the waves that bounce into your eyes are what you see!
👁️How We See — Light Must Bounce Into Our Eyes
We don't see objects directly — we see the light they reflect. You see the apple as red because it bounces red light into your eye and absorbs the rest.
🪟Does Light Pass Through?
💎TRANSPARENT
LightLets ALL light pass through
You seeClearly through it
🪟 clear glass · 💧 water · 🌬️ air
🌫️TRANSLUCENT
LightLets SOME light through & scatters it
You seeBlurry shapes only
🧊 frosted glass · 📄 wax paper
🧱OPAQUE
LightLets NO light through
You seeNothing behind it (it casts a shadow)
🧱 brick · 🚪 wood · 📕 a book
🌈A Prism Splits White Light
✨ White light is made of every color!
A prism bends the light — this bending is refraction
Each color bends a little differently, so they fan apart
Tiny raindrops do the same thing to make a rainbow ☔
🔑Key Terms
📡Electromagnetic WaveA wave that can travel through empty space (a vacuum) — that's how sunlight reaches us.
🪞ReflectionLight bouncing off a surface.
🥤RefractionLight bending as it enters a new medium, like air into water.
🔥AbsorptionLight getting taken in by an object (this makes it heat up).
💫ScatteringLight bouncing off in many different directions.
🌈PrismA clear shape that splits white light into a rainbow.
⭐Remember: you see color based on which light waves an object bounces into your eyes — the rest of the colors are absorbed!