system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Eli5:why is it that when a clear item(like clear wrappers)is crumpled it turns white?
gpt
A clear substance becomes white when tiny cracks, localized crystalline structures or other impurities are introduced due to strain.

The white look is due to the same dynamics that make clouds and seafoam look white. That is, the scattering features involved are the same or bigger than the wavelengths of light and so reflect them all similarly. When you get smaller particles you see color-selective scattering, and you get sunsets and blue skies!