What happens to the properties of light when it is absorbed by a material?

When light is absorbed by a material, the primary effect is that it is converted to heat. This occurs because the absorbed light energy increases the vibrational energy of the molecules in the material, causing them to heat up. This transformation is a result of the material's atomic and molecular structure, which allows it to absorb certain wavelengths of light while converting that energy to thermal energy.

In contrast, when light changes wavelength, reflects back, or continues traveling, these processes do not entail absorption. Changing wavelength typically refers to phenomena like scattering or refraction, while reflection involves light bouncing off a surface rather than being absorbed. Similarly, if light continues traveling, it indicates that it has either passed through the material without interaction or has been transmitted, rather than being absorbed and converted into thermal energy.