- #1
caribjewel
- 8
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Please help uncloud my understanding
#1.Why does the Earth cool off much more quickly when the weather is clear than cloudy?
My foggy understanding: The cloud cover “traps” the heat energy radiated from the Earth because water has a high heat capacity, and so takes a longer time to heat up and pass on the heat energy by conduction to the rest of the atmosphere and space. It also reflects some of the energy absorbed back to the earth, which helps keep the Earth warmer.
#2. Why are lighter-colored clothes more comfortable than darker colored clothes in a hot climate?
My foggy understanding: Darker-colored clothes absorb more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy than lighter colored clothes and thus, transform them into more infrared or heat energy, which is emitted to the wearer. This is the cause of their discomfort. Thus lighter colored clothes have a higher heat capacity than darker colors: it takes more energy to raise their temperature.
#1.Why does the Earth cool off much more quickly when the weather is clear than cloudy?
My foggy understanding: The cloud cover “traps” the heat energy radiated from the Earth because water has a high heat capacity, and so takes a longer time to heat up and pass on the heat energy by conduction to the rest of the atmosphere and space. It also reflects some of the energy absorbed back to the earth, which helps keep the Earth warmer.
#2. Why are lighter-colored clothes more comfortable than darker colored clothes in a hot climate?
My foggy understanding: Darker-colored clothes absorb more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy than lighter colored clothes and thus, transform them into more infrared or heat energy, which is emitted to the wearer. This is the cause of their discomfort. Thus lighter colored clothes have a higher heat capacity than darker colors: it takes more energy to raise their temperature.