Chapter 39.3, Problem 3CC

Summary Introduction

To analyze: The reason for the sensitivity of plants to blue and red light.

Introduction:

Light is made up of energy pockets called photons. They travel in different wavelengths. Based on the wavelengths the color varies in a spectrum of light. When the light ray hits an object, the photons undergo three different changes depending upon the properties of that object. Some photons will be reflected, some will be allowed to pass through the object and the remaining will be absorbed by the object. The color of the reflected and transmitted wavelength will be perceived by our human eyes. The plant pigments reflect as well as transmit the wavelength of green color light. So, the leaves are appearing green to our eyes. Other colors like violet, blue and red are absorbed by pigment.