Which side of an emergency blanket reflects light the best? Pros Pleas

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the reflective properties of emergency blankets, specifically focusing on which side—gold or silver—reflects light more effectively. Participants explore the implications for indoor tomato growing, considering both types of blankets available and their potential layering for improved reflectivity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that there is contradictory information regarding which side reflects heat better, with some claiming gold is superior and others favoring silver, but emphasizes their interest is solely in light reflection.
  • Another participant asserts that silver reflects more visible light than gold, referencing a graph to support this claim.
  • A different participant points out that the blankets are likely made of aluminum rather than actual silver or gold, suggesting that aluminum may be an even better reflector of light.
  • One participant recommends using the silver side for plant growth, arguing that plants reflect green light and absorb red and blue light, which may indicate that the gold side could be less efficient for this purpose.
  • There is a question about whether layering the blankets would improve light reflectivity and which sides should be placed together for optimal results.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effectiveness of the gold versus silver sides for reflecting light, with no consensus reached on which is definitively better. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the optimal configuration for layering the blankets.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the potential for confusion due to the materials used in the blankets, as well as the specific context of plant growth, which may influence the effectiveness of light reflection.

LifelongStuden
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Hello everyone. I have an indoor tomato grow going. The only reflective material I could get was those emergency blankets also known as a Mylar blanket, space blanket, first aid blanket, thermal blanket or weather blanket. I have them in 2 types:
1. Gold on one side/silver on the other.
2. Silver on both sides.

I did some reading and found only about which side reflects heat better. And it was contradictory information anyway. There were mixed opinions. Some said gold reflects heat better, some said the silver side reflects heat better. But in regards to just silver-sided blankets there was a general agreement that the shinier side reflects heat better.

But that's heat. I am interested in which side reflects light the best? I don't grasp physics well enough to know this. Maybe you smarter scientific fellows could help me out. Heat reflection doesn't interest me. All I care about is which side reflects light the best on both types of blankets?? I know mylar, panda plastic, etc. is way better reflectively. But these blankets is all I could get and all I have to work with, so please don't go off the subject.
Also, would layering these blankets one on another improve light reflectivity? If so, which sides go together and in which order? Please educate this old timer, those of you who know their sh*t.
 
Science news on Phys.org
Silver reflects more visible light than gold.
See this graph, for example.
 
Also note that neither side are actually made of silver or gold... that'd be a very expensive blanket. It's almost certainly made of aluminum, which is even better according to that figure.
 
dipole said:
It's almost certainly made of aluminum, which is even better according to that figure.

Indeed. If you hadn't you already bought the mylar, aluminum kitchen foil would have been both cheaper and a better light reflector.

I would use the silver side, because plants with green leaves reflect green light (that's why they are green!) and absorb the red and blue light from the spectrum to grow. So "yellow" light might be less efficient, even if the gold side seems to be more reflective.
 

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