Since water is clear, does that mean it's absorbing all the colors?

Question

For example, when something is red, it's absorbing all the colors of light, besides red.

So does that mean water is absorbing all the colors of light, or none at all?

Thank you.

Answer 1

None at all. That's why you can see things through water in true color (like, say, that shark that's about to nibble on your foot).

Answer 2

Clear means that the colors are 'passing through' the water, and are neither being absorbed or reflected. If the water was in a prism shaped glass, it would 'divide into colors' just as it would if the prism was made of crystal or glass. So, water does not absorb any colors. None at all.

Answer 3

Clear (transparent) means it is not appreciably changing the direction of propagation of light, except for a uniform refraction. Colorless means it transmits and absorbs uniformly across the visual spectrum.

In practice, it means you can read a book through a clear material, though it may alter the color. A colorless material is not necessarily transparent. It can be translucent. But it does not alter the color balance of light passing through it.

Answer 4

Black is absorbing all the colors.
Translucent is not absorbing any color, they are transmitted (as opposed to reflected)
White is reflecting all the colors.