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The individual hairs in a polar bear's coat are transparent. Similarly, the crystals of sugar in a bowl, the crystals of ice in a field of snow, the water droplets in a cloud are also transparent and yet a bowl of sugar, a field of snow or a cloud are all white, just as a polar bear's coat is - and for the same reason.

The light from the sun is white light. When it falls on the fur, the sugar or the snow it is refracted and reflected by the individual elements in all directions. This is called scattering. Some of the scattered light comes out towards the observer and as the light was white going in, it is white coming out. Consequently masses of small transparent objects appear white because they scatter white light.