Does black or white clothing keep you cooler in hot weather? Why?

Question

I remember its one or the other.....

Answer 1

White keeps you cooler because white reflects light. For instance something that is red reflects the part of light that is red (the bit that's red in a rainbow), and not any other part of the spectrum. Something that's black doesn't reflect any light, which is why it appears black, the opposite is true for white. Instead of reflecting light, black absorbs it, and under the law of conservation of energy (it can't be destroyed) the light energy is converted into heat energy.

Answer 2

White clothing if the same thickness as the darker clothing will keep you cooler in the hot weather. This has to do with the fact that dark coloured clothing absorb more heat then lighter coloured clothing does. And this is true especially if you are in the direct rays of the sun.

Answer 3

The colour white reflects energy (heat), whilst the colour black absorbs it. However, in terms of whether you should wear black or white, there really isn't that much difference. If you want to stay comfortable during hot weather your best bet is to wear loose-fitting clothing and a hat. Also stay out of the sun, esp between noon and three.

Answer 4

White clothing is cooler as it reflects the heat more than black.

Answer 5

White keeps you cooler because of reflecting light the darker the color is the more if absorbs the heat the lighter the less.

Answer 6

White reflects heat, black absorbes heat. To test it, find two cars that have been out in the hot sun for a couple of hours. Put your hand on the hood of a light colored car, then a dark colored car. You'll feel a big difference.

Answer 7

White means the fabric reflects light, and heat is a form of light. Black is no light, so it absorbs it all, so the heat gets held by black cloths. White keeps you cool.

Answer 8

White keeps you cooler, black just attracts the heat.

Answer 9

White reflects light so it is cooler unlike black which absorbs the light and thus more heat.

Answer 10

It is white clothing that keeps you cool in the hot weather due to being reflective!

Answer 11

white clothing keeps you cooler in hot weather, it deflects the heat from the sun & black clothing makes the sun heat you up.

Answer 12

white keeps u cooler cos it reflects the heat rays from the sun back 2 it. while black makes u hot cos it absorbs heat(a lot. lol)

Answer 13

White reflects light, and Black absorbs light.



So you get hotter in Black, as the heat from the light is kept rather than being reflected.

Answer 14

if the clothing is tight, then white.



but...



what colour do bedouins wear? or the majority of non-city dwelling arabs?



black.



with the right clothing, colour is irrelevant. the baggy robes nomads were, which are normally black (they dont have the facilities to bleahc the wool from the predominantly black goats or sheep), trap a layer of air between the body and the fabric, and this acts as insulation.



so the answer, its, both do, it depends on they type of clothing.

Answer 15

White reflects all the colours of light so will therefore keep you cooler.

Answer 16

White keeps you cooler.. because it reflects colors rather than absorbing them. Remember color theory? White is composed of all colors, while black is composed of no colors?

Answer 17

Big Head is right, White is more reflective than black

Answer 18

white reflects the heat - black makes you hot as it attracts the heat - so i would say white in summer black in winter....oh and dont get a black car - biggest mistake of my life!! have now sold the bloody thing!

Answer 19

In physics, a black body is a perfect absorber of light, but by a rule derived by Einstein it is also, when heated, the best emitter. Thus, the best radiative cooling, out of sunlight, is by using black paint, though it is important that it be black (a nearly perfect absorber) in the infrared as well.



ie, when your in sunlight you will heat up in black very quickly, howether when out of it you will give it off quickly to

Answer 20

white clothing is for the summer, it reflects the heat



black for winter, it absorbs the heat

Answer 21

white is cooler - black is the combination of all colors of the spectrum, so the sun's light is centered there.

Answer 22

white because black absorbs more heat and light. That's why when you see people in the middle east deserts they always have those white robes and turbans.

Answer 23

black is supposed to attract the heat, and white is supposed to reflect the heat so just wear light colours it works, and don't wear nylon or wool oh no...