What determines the color of obkects that emit light and what determines the color of objects that do not?

I wrote that color of objects that emit light is determined by the wavelenghts of light waves that they emit.Then I wrote that if an object does not emit light, then it does not have color. Is this right? I'm not sure about the last part.

You are correct that the color of objects that emit light is determined by the wavelengths of the light waves they emit. This phenomenon is explained by the phenomenon called emission spectra. When an object emits light, it releases energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. This radiation, also known as light, contains different wavelengths, which we perceive as colors.

However, the statement that objects that do not emit light do not have color is not entirely accurate. In fact, all objects have the potential to reflect, absorb, or transmit light, and these interactions determine their perceived color.

When light encounters an object, it can interact with its surface in different ways. Some wavelengths of light are absorbed by the object, while others may be transmitted through it, or reflected off its surface. The wavelengths of light that are reflected or transmitted determine the color that we perceive.

For example, when we see a red apple, what we are actually seeing is the light that is reflected off the apple's surface. The apple absorbs most of the light spectrum but reflects predominantly red wavelengths, which our eyes perceive as red.

Similarly, objects that do not emit light on their own, such as a blue shirt or a yellow car, don't have color inherent to themselves. The color we perceive is determined by the wavelengths of light that are being reflected by the object's surface. Different colors are reflected or absorbed based on the object's molecular and atomic composition, which interacts with incoming light.

In summary, the color of objects that emit light is determined by the wavelengths they emit. On the other hand, the color of objects that do not emit light is determined by the wavelengths of light that are reflected or transmitted by their surfaces.

You are partially correct.

For objects that emit light, such as light bulbs or the sun, their color is determined by the wavelengths of light they emit. Different wavelengths correspond to different colors, and our eyes perceive these wavelengths as the colors of objects.

On the other hand, for objects that do not emit light, their color is determined by the wavelengths of light that are reflected or absorbed by the object. When light from a source, such as the sun or a lightbulb, illuminates an object, the object absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects others. The wavelengths that are reflected determine the color that we perceive. For example, an object that appears red absorbs other wavelengths of light and reflects mainly red light.

So, an object that does not emit light can have color based on how it absorbs and reflects light.