White Light & Colour

Science · Waves, Light & Sound · ages 11-12

Name ______________________ Date ____________

White light is made of just one colour.
Circle one: True False
Which order lists the spectrum colours correctly, from red to violet?
- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
- Red, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Violet, Indigo
- Violet, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Indigo
What happens when white light passes through a prism?
- It turns green
- It spreads out into a rainbow of colours
- It disappears completely
A green leaf looks green in white light. What is the leaf doing to the light?
- Reflecting green light and absorbing the other colours
- Reflecting every colour equally
- Absorbing green light and reflecting the rest
A prism splits white light into a spectrum. Which colour bends the LEAST as it passes through?
- Violet
- Green
- Red
You shine pure green light through a red filter. What do you see coming out?
- Green light gets through
- No light gets through, so it looks black
- The light turns purple
A blue jumper is seen through a red filter. What colour does it look, and why?
- Black, because the filter only passes red light and the jumper reflects no red light
- Purple, because blue and red mix together
- Blue, because filters do not change the colour of clothes
Priya says a white shirt looks white because it makes its own white light. Is she right?
- Yes, white objects create their own light
- No, the shirt absorbs all colours and reflects none
- No, the shirt reflects all the colours of white light back to your eyes

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

False · White light is a mixture of every colour in the spectrum, not just one colour.
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet · Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet is the order that never changes. It spells ROYGBIV.
It spreads out into a rainbow of colours · A prism bends each colour by a different amount, so the colours spread apart into a spectrum.
Reflecting green light and absorbing the other colours · An object shows the colour it reflects back to your eyes. The leaf absorbs the other colours and bounces green back.
Red · Red light bends the least and violet light bends the most. That's why red ends up at one edge of the spectrum and violet at the other.
No light gets through, so it looks black · A red filter only lets red light through. Green light has no red in it, so the filter blocks it and no light passes.
Black, because the filter only passes red light and the jumper reflects no red light · The jumper reflects blue light, but the red filter blocks everything except red. With no red light getting through, the jumper looks black.
No, the shirt reflects all the colours of white light back to your eyes · The shirt makes no light of its own. It reflects every colour that hits it, and all the colours together look white.