Final answer:
Light interacts with mediums through reflection, refraction, transmission, and absorption. These interactions determine how light behaves when encountering different materials, which is vital for understanding image formation and various optical phenomena.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are four ways light can interact with mediums:
- Reflection: When light encounters a surface, it can bounce off, and this is known as reflection. The Law of Reflection states that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. This is observed when light bounces off mirrors or other reflective surfaces.
- Refraction: Refraction occurs when light passes through a medium and changes direction due to a change in speed. This bending of light is apparent when you look at an object partially submerged in water; the part in the water appears to be at a different position than it actually is.
- Transmission: Some of the light that encounters a medium is transmitted through the medium, which means it passes through without being absorbed or reflected significantly. This is seen when light passes through clear glass or water.
- Absorption: Light can also be absorbed by the medium, converting the light energy into other forms, usually heat. Absorption is responsible for the colors we see, as objects absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others, which are the colors we perceive.
These interactions are essential for predicting what kind of image will form when light interacts with matter, and they have practical applications in various fields such as photography, optics, and vision science.