Question

Which is correct about the white objects regarding light?
A) They absorb more light
B) They absorb less light
C) They radiate light
D) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint : We are able to view objects when they are illuminated by white light. White light is a mixture of all colours that fall in the visible spectrum.

Complete step by step answer
White objects look white because they reflect back all the visible wavelengths of light that shine on them - so the light still looks white to us. Since it does not absorb any specific colours, all the combined colours will seem white to us.
Coloured objects, on the other hand, reflect back only some of the wavelengths. For example, if white light shines on a red book, the book reflects back most of the red light that falls on it, and so we see red. In contrast, most of the green and blue light that are also a part of white light are absorbed by the book so we cannot see them.
Hence, white-coloured objects will be able to reflect most of the light that falls on them. This can also be written as that they absorb less amount of light but rather reflect most of it so option (B) is correct.

Note
Option (C) is incorrect because most days to day objects don’t radiate light but rather only scatter and reflect light from different light sources such as the sun or artificial light. This is the reason why wearing white clothes on a hot day is beneficial as most of the sunlight will be reflected by the t-shirt rather than absorbing it. In contrast, black coloured objects absorb most of the light that falls on it.