3.3.18
Observing Light
After reading these notes, test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
Visible Light
The human eye can see visible light. Visible light is a type of electromagnetic radiation. When light hits an object, it can be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted. This decides if an object is opaque, translucent, or transparent.

Opaque
Opaque objects reflect or absorb all the light that hits them.
No light passes through these objects.

Translucent
Translucent objects let light pass through, but the light rays are scattered.
We cannot see objects clearly through translucent objects.

Transparent
Transparent objects let light pass through without scattering the rays.
We can clearly see objects on the other side of transparent objects.
1Biology
1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs
1.2Reproduction & Variation
1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification
1.4Digestion & Nutrition
1.5Plants & Photosynthesis
1.6Biological Systems & Processes
2Chemistry
2.1Particles
2.2Chemical Reactions
2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds
2.4The Periodic Table
2.5Materials & the Earth
2.6Reactivity
2.7Energetics
3Physics
3.1Energy
3.2Forces & Motion
3.3Waves
3.4Electricity & Magnetism
3.5Matter
4Disciplinary Knowledge
4.1Thinking Scientifically
Jump to other topics
1Biology
1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs
1.2Reproduction & Variation
1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification
1.4Digestion & Nutrition
1.5Plants & Photosynthesis
1.6Biological Systems & Processes
2Chemistry
2.1Particles
2.2Chemical Reactions
2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds
2.4The Periodic Table
2.5Materials & the Earth
2.6Reactivity
2.7Energetics
3Physics
3.1Energy
3.2Forces & Motion
3.3Waves
3.4Electricity & Magnetism
3.5Matter
4Disciplinary Knowledge
4.1Thinking Scientifically
Practice questions on Observing Light
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Which of these is a form of electromagnetic radiation?Multiple choice
- 2
- 3
- 4Which colour of visible light has the shortest wavelength?Multiple choice
- 5
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