What makes something transparent?

Transparency is caused by the transmission of light waves. If the vibrational energy of a light wave is passed through the object, then the object appears clear, or transparent. If the energy only causes vibrations in the surface before reflecting off the object, then the object appears opaque.
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What makes an object transparent translucent or opaque?

Objects are either; transparent, translucent, or opaque depending on the amount of light that is able to pass through them.
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What makes a material opaque?

If a photon (a particle of light) traveling through a solid meets an electron with an energy gap of equal energy, it will be absorbed by that electron as it 'jumps' to a higher energy level. This means that very little light can travel through the material without being absorbed, thus making the material opaque.
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Why is glass a transparent object?

Photons pass through glass because they are not absorbed. And they are not absorbed because there is nothing which "absorbs" light in visual frequencies in glass. You may have heard that ultraviolet photons are absorbed by glass, so glass is not transparent for them.
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Why is material transparent?

"A material appears transparent when it does not strongly absorb or diffract light. As far as the absorbance of a solid goes, you pretty much have to take what Nature gives you. Diffraction, however, can be influenced by how the material is prepared.
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Why Some Solid Objects Are See-Through



How can things be clear?

Light waves cause vibrations in surface atoms, which are either absorbed, transmitted or reflected. Transparency is caused by the transmission of light waves. If the vibrational energy of a light wave is passed through the object, then the object appears clear, or transparent.
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Why can I see through glass?

We can see through glass because light passes through it. Our eyes only see objects — chairs, the phone, your computer, or even tinted glass — by processing light waves reflected off the object or absorbed by it.
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Is water transparent?

Water is a transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid composed of the elements hydrogen and oxygen. Water is an universal solvent, meaning that many elements can be dissolved by water. Fresh water has relatively few elements dissolved in the water, while the oceans contain many dissolved salts.
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What is transparent color?

For an object to be transparent it must be invisible, whereas to be colored an object must be visible. An object's transparency is characterized by its light transmission properties, whereas its color is given by its reflectance properties.
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What are 5 examples of transparent?

Transparent Examples
  • clear glass windowpane.
  • cling wrap.
  • cellophane.
  • clear glass lightbulb.
  • water.
  • clean air.
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What does transparent mean in art?

A transparent glasswork means the light passes through the material, in one side and out the other, without being scattered. Clear glass is transparent because the light travels straight through it, we can see through it and make out clearly what is on the other side.
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How are transparent objects different from opaque objects?

Transparent Objects : If you are able to see clearly through an object, it is allowing light to pass through it and is transparent. For example :water,clear glass etc. Opaque Objects : If we cannot see through an object at all, it is an opaque object.
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Is a red apple transparent or opaque?

Every opaque object absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects others. The color of an opaque object is the color of the light it reflects. For example an apple appears red because it reflects red wavelengths of light.
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Is Mirror transparent?

A mirror is not a transparent item since it reflects the light that comes towards it, allowing us to see our image in mirrors. As a result, whereas mirrors are opaque, glass is transparent. Note: A mirror's reflecting surface is opaque because we can't see what's behind it.
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Is glass transparent?

Materials like air, water, and clear glass are called transparent. When light encounters transparent materials, almost all of it passes directly through them. Glass, for example, is transparent to all visible light. Translucent objects allow some light to travel through them.
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Is plastic transparent?

Seeing clearly through polymers

A plastic material is transparent if light can pass through it without being diffracted by crystals, through a so-called "amorphous" medium of disorderly distributed macromolecules.
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Is ice transparent?

Ice isn't really as transparent as a pane of glass. If you look through an ice cube, everything looks kind of murky. This is because the ice is bending the light a little bit -- it doesn't pass through the ice in a straight line -- and so things get blurry. Snow is made completely out of a bunch of tiny flakes of ice.
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How is glass made clear?

To make clear glass, need the right set of raw materials is required. This consists of silica sand (SiO2), sodium oxide (Na2O) from soda ash, calcium oxide (CaO) from limestone/dolomite, dolomite (MgO), and feldspar (Al2O3).
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What makes glass or water transparent?

Water or glass molecules allow light or photons to pass through them which makes the glass or water transparent.
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How do you make glass translucent?

Sandblasted glass: Sandblasted glass is made by spraying sand over the surface of the glass to lightly damage and obscure its transparent surface. Satin glass: Satin glass is either acid-etched or sandblasted to form a surface that is more transparent than the other two methods.
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What is necessary for an object to be visible?

The bottom line is: without light, there would be no sight. The visual ability of humans and other animals is the result of the complex interaction of light, eyes and brain. We are able to see because light from an object can move through space and reach our eyes.
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Is a fish tank transparent or translucent?

You can see shadows through it. Fish tank - most light passes through it. You can see clearly what is inside.
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Can metals be transparent?

Truly transparent metals can actually be manufactured using centuries-old techniques. These solid, continuous sheets of metal can transmit visible light in the same way that sheets of semiconductors do for near-infrared wavelengths.
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