Final answer:
When a material absorbs light, it reduces the intensity of the signal due to the absorption of specific light wavelengths, as seen in colored materials like red tomatoes, and transparent materials like certain glasses.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a material absorbs some light, it reduced the intensity of the signal. This can be understood through the interactions of light, which include reflection, absorption, and transmission. When light is absorbed by a material, the energy from the light wave is taken up by the material. If we consider a red tomato, for instance, it is red because it absorbs all the visible wavelengths except red ones. The lycopene in the tomato's hydrocarbon pigment only allows red light to be reflected, while all other colors are absorbed.
Transparent materials, such as certain types of glass, do not significantly absorb visible light because the photons don't have the right energy to excite the atoms' electrons to higher energy levels. However, if we were talking about UV rays, x-rays, or γ-rays, those do have enough energy to be absorbed because they can ionize the material.