Question

A shiny, smooth piece of black plastic and an identical piece of white plastic are exposed to visible light and sound waves. Which of the following is true about the different colors of plastic?
A.
The white piece of plastic and the black piece of plastic will reflect both visible light and sound waves equally well.
B.
The white piece of plastic will reflect sound waves better than the black piece of plastic , but both pieces of plastic will reflect the same amount of visible light.
C.
The white piece of plastic will reflect more visible light than the black piece of plastic, but both pieces of plastic will reflect sound waves in the same way.
D.
The white piece of plastic will reflect both visible light and sound waves better than the black piece of plastic.

Answer 1

C.

Color affects how the material interacts with visible light (white reflects most visible wavelengths, black absorbs them), but color/pigment does not change the bulk acoustic impedance or mechanical properties that determine sound reflection, so both pieces will reflect sound similarly.