Which of these will reflect light with the highest frequency?
an orange basketball
a blue candle
a green ribbon
a yellow banana
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is:
A blue candle
Explanation:
The color of an object is determined by the wavelengths of light it reflects or emits. Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, with each color corresponding to a specific range of wavelengths and frequencies. In general, the shorter the wavelength of visible light, the higher the frequency.
When white light (containing all visible colors) shines on an object, the object absorbs some wavelengths and reflects others. The reflected light is what we perceive as the object’s color. Higher frequency light corresponds to colors in the blue/violet range, while lower frequency light corresponds to colors like red and orange.
1. Understanding Color and Frequency:
- Blue light has a shorter wavelength and therefore a higher frequency than other colors such as yellow, orange, and green. Blue light falls in the range of approximately 450–495 nanometers (nm) and has a frequency around 606–668 terahertz (THz).
- In contrast, orange (590–620 nm), yellow (570–590 nm), and green (495–570 nm) have progressively longer wavelengths and thus lower frequencies than blue.
2. Reflecting Higher Frequency Light:
- The blue candle reflects light in the blue wavelength range, which has the highest frequency among the listed options. Therefore, it reflects light with the highest frequency compared to the green ribbon, yellow banana, or orange basketball.
- Objects like the green ribbon and yellow banana reflect lower frequency light in the green and yellow range, respectively. The orange basketball reflects light with one of the lowest frequencies in the visible spectrum.
3. Practical Implications:
- This principle explains why blue light is closer to the violet end of the spectrum, approaching ultraviolet light, which is not visible to the human eye but has even higher frequencies.
- Higher frequency light carries more energy, which is why shorter-wavelength colors (like blue and violet) are often perceived as more intense.
Thus, the blue candle reflects light at the highest frequency due to its shorter wavelength, which correlates with the color blue in the visible spectrum.