How can the color of an object determine how much light it absorbs?

Question

Please explain your answer!!! Thanks =]

Answer 1

You know how rainbow looks like?

Well, it's because the white light (specter visible for the human eye) is separated in other colors. Those colors merged together give white light.

If the object is white, that means that he reflect most (all in ideal case) of the light that falls on it. White objects are white because they reflect white light. It's logical. If the object is red/green/blue, that means the object absorbs all other colors except red/green/blue and because of that we see that object as red/green/blue.

If the object is dark, it means that the object absorbs most (all in ideal cases) of the light that falls on it.

And color doesn't determine how much light the object absorbs. It's determined by it's brightness/darkness.

Darker absorb more, brighter absorb less.

Stand in front of mirror, perfect reflecting source. What you see is exactly what is reflected. That's how it works.

Answer 2

It can not say how much  intensity is absorbed but can tell you what is the color absorbed

2 cases

1) a solid : a solid has a given colour since it diffuses a wvelength preferentially.ex  a sheet seems red since it diffuses the red light

2) a liquid A liquid has a given colur since it absorbs the complementary color. I explain better with an example. A solution of chlorophyll is green (as the leaves of a tree) since the solution absorbs the red wavelength . Red+green = white (light given by the sun). as the red light is absorbed the color of a solution of chlophyll is green