What is the difference between light absorption and reflection?

Answer 1

Absorbtion means to absorb, like water and a sponge. Reflect means to bounce off. Like sunlight on metal.

Answer 2

In absorption, the frequency of the incoming light wave is at or near the vibration frequency of the electrons in the material. The electrons take in the energy of the light wave and start to vibrate. What happens next depends upon how tightly the atoms hold on to their electrons. Absorption occurs when the electrons are held tightly, and they pass the vibrations along to the nuclei of the atoms. This makes the atoms speed up, collide with other atoms in the material, and then give up as heat the energy they acquired from the vibrations.
The absorption of light makes an object dark or opaque to the frequency of the incoming wave. Wood is opaque to visible light. Some materials are opaque to some frequencies of light, but transparent to others. Glass is opaque to ultraviolet light, but transparent to visible light.







The atoms in some materials hold on to their electrons loosely. In other words, the materials contain many free electrons that can jump readily from one atom to another within the material. When the electrons in this type of material absorb energy from an incoming light wave, they do not pass that energy on to other atoms. The energized electrons merely vibrate and then send the energy back out of the object as a light wave with the same frequency as the incoming wave. The overall effect is that the light wave does not penetrate deeply into the material.
In most metals, electrons are held loosely, and are free to move around, so these metals reflect visible light and appear to be shiny. The electrons in glass have some freedom, though not as much as in metals. To a lesser degree, glass reflects light and appears to be shiny, as well.

A reflected wave always comes off the surface of a material at an angle equal to the angle at which the incoming wave hit the surface. In physics, this is called the Law of Reflectance. You have probably heard the Law of Reflectance stated as "the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection."





You can see for yourself that reflected light has the same frequency as the incoming wave. Just look at yourself in a mirror. The colors you see in the mirror's image are the same as those you see when you look down at yourself. The colors of your shirt and hair are the same as reflected in the mirror as they are on you. If this were not true, we would have to rely entirely on other people to tell us what we look like!

Answer 3

light absorption refers to the uptake of the light by substance. Light absorbance at certain wavelengths (colors) reduces that amount of color at those wavelengths. Reflection is the light bouncing off the substance or surface. Transmission is when the light passes through the substance or surface but it does not absorb. The color you see is primarily the reflected light, and it is generally the colors that are complementary to the absorbed colors.

Answer 4

incident light = reflected light + absorbed light + transmitted light

absorbtion means the energy in the light is soaked up and turned into heat.

reflection means the energy is sent back out the general face that it was incident on, and the energy is no longer in the material, its in light, but that light can be a different color, and going a different direction.

Answer 5

The difference lies in the precision of light source.
Example: When your eyes are closed, you get a general sense of total light = Absorption.
Whereas when your eyes are open you can distinguish where from the light shines and its degree of intensity = Reflection.

Answer 6

One absorbs light and the other reflects light.

Answer 7

absorption: light is 'absorbed' (eg what happens when you look at black.) reflection: light is bounced back (what happens when you look at white.)

Answer 8

They are opposite. You should read your text book.