Question

Red tape can be used to repair a broken taillight on a car. In one or two sentences, explain how different colors of light are transmitted, reflected, and absorbed by this kind of tape.

Answer 1

Red tape contains dyes that act as a filter, letting longer (red) wavelengths pass through while absorbing shorter (green/blue) wavelengths. Some incident light is also reflected or scattered from the tape's surface and internal structure (including some red), while absorbed wavelengths are converted to heat, so the transmitted and reflected light appears predominantly red.