An object is a material thing that can be seen and touched.
About objects
- An object is intuitively assumed to exist and to be responsible for a unified experience, consisting of visual and other sensations and perceptions.
- Every object, whether a material, medium or substance, is made of matter of one kind or another.
- The key differentiating factor between objects is the atoms, molecules and compounds they are constructed from.
Is a rainbow an object?
- An atmospheric rainbow is an example of a visual phenomenon that is not a physical object.
- An atmospheric rainbow is an optical effect, a trick of the light produced in the presence of the Sun, raindrops and an observer.
The colour of objects
- Objects are composed of atoms, molecules, elements and compounds that react to light in different ways because of their atomic structure and composition.
- Objects appear to be different colours to an observer depending on the wavelengths, frequencies and intensity of light at the moment it strikes the retina at the back of the eye.
- In the case of opaque objects, it is their surface that determines what happens when they are exposed to light.
- Translucent and transparent objects behave differently because light can travel through them.
- The surface finish of objects affects their appearance. Smooth and polished (specular) surfaces behave differently from those that are rough, textured or rippled.
