Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Color Absorption

Vocabulary: absorb, primary colors, reflect, transmit, transparent

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

A set of primary colors can be mixed to form all other colors. The three primary colors of
pigment are cyan (light blue), magenta (neon pink), and yellow. If possible, get three crayons –
light blue, pink, and yellow.

1. What color do you get when you mix cyan (light blue) and yellow? Green

2. What color do you get when you mix cyan and magenta (pink)? Dark blue

3. As you add more colors, does the resulting color get lighter or darker? depends on if your
adding a dark or light color

Gizmo Warm-up: Mixing Light

In the Color Absorption Gizmo, you can mix different colors of
light instead of pigments (like paints or crayons).

1. Observe the three primary colors of light. What are they?

Red, Green,
blue__________________________________________

2. You can click on the lights to turn them on or off. What colors
are formed by the following light combinations?

Red and green light: Yellow Red and blue light: Red and blue magenta

Green and blue light: Cyan Red, green, and blue light: White light

3. As you add more colors of light, does the resulting color get lighter or darker? lighter

4. How is mixing the primary colors of light related to mixing the primary colors of pigment?

Mixing a given color pair together will bring different results in light and pigment. Adding
more colors to the mix will sully or darken the color in paint, but will appear paler and
brighter in light.

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_________________________________________________________________________

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Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Absorption and  Check that all three lights (red, green, and blue)
Transmission are turned on.

Introduction: If light is blocked by an object, it is either reflected or absorbed. If light passes

through an object, it is transmitted. Objects that transmit light without blurring are transparent.

Question: How does colored glass transmit and absorb light?

1. Observe: Drag each shade of colored glass into the light box, one at a time. What do you

notice? The light transmitted has the same color as glass.

2. Predict: What color of light will be transmitted by the Dark red, thick glass? green and blue
colors of light.

3. Experiment: For each glass color, turn on the red, green, and blue lights separately. Record
the color that results from each combination of glass and light.

Glass Red light only Green light only Blue light only
Dark red, thick
Dark green, thick
Dark blue, thick

4. Analyze: If a color of light passed through a piece of glass, it was transmitted. If most of the
light was blocked by the glass, it was absorbed. Fill in the blanks below.

A. Red glass transmits _________ light and absorbs _________ and _________ light.

B. Green glass transmits _________ light and absorbs ________ and _________ light.

C. Blue glass transmits _________ light and absorbs _________ and _________ light.

5. Draw conclusions: How can you predict what colors will be transmitted and absorbed by

certain color of glass? _______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
 Turn on all three lights.
Making colors
 Remove all the glass from the light box.

Question: How can you filter light to create different colors?

1. Observe: Experiment with different combinations of lights and pieces of glass. See what
colors you can create!

2. Challenge: Try to create the following colors using the Gizmo. Use the R G B graph to see
that each color matches the goal. (Hint: You don’t have to start with all three lights on.)

When you solve one of the challenge colors, click the camera icon to take a snapshot, and
then paste the image into a blank word-processing document. Record your solutions below.

Challenge Solution
Color R G B Lights used Glass used

Orange 100 50 0 2 light red thick

Green and red
Deep
70 0 70 Red and blue Light blue thick
purple
Dark Dark green thin, Dark blue
25 25 25 Red, green and blue
gray thin, dark green thin
2 light green thin, Dark red
thick,
Brown 50 25 0
Red and green

2 light blue thick,2 light

Sea green thick
0 50 50 Green and blue
foam

3. Analyze: Is there more than one way to make a particular color? Try to find at least two
ways to make “sea foam.” If possible, see if your classmates found a solution that you did
not.

Use of the thick green glass and one thick blue glass 2. Glass, 1 Thick blue, 1 thick
green, 2 thin light green, and 2 thin light blue

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4. Extend your thinking: Use the Gizmo to create your favorite color. Take a snapshot of your
color and paste it into your document. Describe your color and how you made it.

I turned on all the lights (red, green, and blue) and added the thin light red glass after
determining that pink, or "light pink," would be the result of mixing white and red.

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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity C:
 Turn on all three lights.
Color analysis
 Remove all of the glass from the light box.

Question: How much light is absorbed by different types of glass?

1. Observe: Compare the effects of thick vs. thin glass, and dark vs. light glass.

2. Form hypothesis: How do the thickness and darkness of glass affect the amount of light that

is transmitted? The amount of light that passes through glass determines its thickness

and blackness. Glass that is thicker or darker absorbs more light and transmits less

of it.

3. Experiment: The bar graph shows the amount of red, green, and blue light measured by the
probe. Use the graph to help you answer the following questions. Be sure all lights are on.

A. How many pieces of thin, light glass have the same effect as one thick, light glass?

Two pieces as a result Because the thickness adds up, two pieces of thin light
glass together have the same effect as two pieces of thick light glass

B. How many pieces of thin, light glass have the same effect as one thin, dark glass?

8 pieces since the total blackness of the thin pieces affects light transmission
in a manner similar to that of a single dark piece.

C. How many pieces of thin, light glass will have the same effect as one thick, dark
glass? (Hint: More than are available in the Gizmo!)
There will be a lot

4. Extend your thinking: Water is just a little bit blue in color. Why does a glass of water appear
to have no color at all, but the ocean is a deep blue color?

The depth of the water prevents light from reflecting off the bottom

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