Many students understand that different objects allow more or less light to pass through them. This activity will allow them to investigate many common items and determine whether they are transparent, translucent or opaque. A transparent material allows light to pass through it and a clear image to form. A piece of glass would be an example of a transparent material. A sheet of waxed paper is translucent.
Some light does pass through translucent materials, but most of the light is scattered.
As a result images cannot be seen clearly through them. A piece of cardboard is opaque. Light cannot pass through it and no image can be seen through this material. The lines or grooves on a compact disk are equally spaced over the flat surface of the disk. As a result when light strikes the disk it is separated into its component colors.