Settle our arguement

[musicmummy]

Hi, can you please tell me which absorbs and which reflects and the reasoning why please,
BLACK AND WHITE
there is 100 quid on this Cheers

[mibn2cweus]

We see objects as the light that they reflect stimulates our vision. Black surfaces absorbs all visible light and so appear dark. White objects reflect all visible wavelengths and so appear white.

[lord molly]

black absorbs, due to it not reflecting. white reflects due to it not absorbing

[musicmummy]

Thank you very much. Looks like im going out on a spending spree tomorrow. Cheers

[JudgeJ]

A basic Physics experiment is with a device called �Leslie�s cube�. This is a cube with each of the six surfaces different, varying from dull matt black to shiny gloss white.

The experiment is to point a heat source to each surface in turn and measure the about of heat reflected back. The dull black surface absorbs the most heat, whilst the shiny white absorbs the least.

That's why houses in hot countries are usually painted white (to reflect the most heat and so keep them cool inside) and why devices used to heat water using sunshine are dull black (to absorb the sun's heat as efficiently as possible).

[Hamish]

Correction - white scatters, but also does not absorb. A material wich does not absorb light and does not scatter is transparent. A matterial wich reflects light also does not absorb it, but it also does not transmit it. Scattering and reflectance are different effects.

[Space]

I want to meet the person you bet with

[musicmummy]

Its my skint hubby Space haha

[mibn2cweus]

Hamish, I submit that both of our previous answers have merit.

Reflected light comes in two flavors: Specular reflection,(as from a mirror) and diffuse reflection, where light is reflected in various directions (scattered) from a rough surface.

White light is reflected by both types of surfaces, however, an object will appear to be white when it diffusely reflects (scatters) a broad spectrum of illuminating light, (such as sunlight). Newly fallen snow is a good example of a white surface with diffuse reflection that scatters light.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/lightandcol or/reflection.html

[Hamish]

Yep - I was thinking too simplisticly.

Although interestingly diffuse reflection from particles of a material wich exhibits specular ref in the bulk makes it look mat black/grey.