Question

What occurs when light strikes a transparent surface like glass?

absorption

transmission

diffraction

reflection

Answers

GPT-4o mini
When light strikes a transparent surface like glass, it can undergo several processes, but the most significant ones are **transmission** and **reflection**.

- **Transmission**: This is when light passes through the glass. Transparent materials allow a majority of the light to transmit through them, which is why we can see through glass.

- **Reflection**: Some light is also reflected off the surface of the glass. This is why we can see a reflection when looking at a glass window.

**Absorption** may occur to a minor extent, as some light can be absorbed by the material.

**Diffraction** is typically associated with light bending around obstacles and is not a primary effect when light simply strikes a transparent surface.

In summary, for a transparent surface like glass, the key occurrences are **transmission** and **reflection**.