← Back to course
Bike Shop 3-5 / Week 09 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 09 · Be Seen

Wednesday

Bright and dark colors
// Light, reflectors and bright colors
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Bright and Dark Colors

Rocket and Raven race to pick riding jackets. Rocket grabs a dark one. Raven picks bright yellow.

They stand at the far end of the yard.

Rocket's grown-up squints. "I can spot Raven right away!"

"What do you notice about the colors?" Raven asks.

Nova hovers between them. "Some colors bounce back more light," she says.

Absorb or reflect

An object's color is the light it reflects. It absorbs the other colors.

Dark objects absorb more light. They reflect very little.

Black pavement absorbs most light. A light sidewalk reflects more.

Fluorescent and bright clothes help a rider be seen.

They are easier to see than white clothes.

Dark clothes are hard to see, especially at dusk.

EASY TO SPOT?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which jacket is easiest to spot?
What does a dark object do with most of the light?
Which is easier to see, white clothes or fluorescent clothes?
Dark things take in light instead of bouncing it. What is that word?
WHY THIS EXERCISEDark objects absorb most light and reflect very little.
StatementTrue or false?
Black pavement reflects most light.?
Bright clothes help a rider be seen.?
Dark clothes are easy to see at dusk.?
An object's color is the light it reflects.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEBright colors reflect more light, so they are easier to see.
Try it
Gather a few cloth or paper scraps: black, white, yellow and one more.
Lay them on the floor in a dim room.
Stand across the room. Which can you see first?
A grown-up can shine a flashlight at the floor to compare.
Safety first
Keep enough light to walk safely.
Shine the flashlight at the floor, never at eyes.
No scraps? Color squares on paper with crayons.
ColorEasy to see? (1 = hard, 3 = easy)
black
white
yellow
my choice
FROM HARDEST TO EASIEST TO SEE (FROM THE LESSON)
  • ?fluorescent clothes
  • ?white clothes
  • ?dark clothes
WHY THIS EXERCISEFluorescent clothes are easier to see than white, and dark is hardest.
In your Bike Shop Notebook, design a bright riding outfit that is easy to see.

Colorful work! Tomorrow we meet the bike part that sends light right back: the reflector.

← Tuesday