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Kuiper83
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My Question is just that of the title of the thread;namely, why does something get darker when wet? Does it have to do with the refractive index of water? Or is it something else altogether? Thanks for you help!
Antiphon said:The rough dry surface (say a road) scatters light all over because of the roughness. When it's wet the water is a much smoother surface and only reflects light in a much straiter way like a mirror.
DaveC426913 said:That was the answer I started to give (surface roughness). But I checked by Googling. Overwhelmingly, it seems that may not be the answer at all. It seems to be much more about water resulting in a higher amount of refraction rather than reflection.
When an object is wet, the water on its surface acts as a thin layer that absorbs and scatters light. This causes less light to reflect off the surface, making it appear darker.
Yes, the color of the object does affect how dark it appears when wet. Darker colors tend to absorb more light, making them appear even darker when wet.
The material and texture of an object can impact how much light is absorbed and scattered when it is wet. Porous materials, like fabric or paper, tend to absorb more water and appear darker when wet compared to smooth, non-porous materials like plastic or metal.
Yes, the amount of water on the surface of an object can affect how dark it appears when wet. The more water that is present, the thicker the layer of water will be, resulting in more light being absorbed and the object appearing darker.
When an object is partially wet, the dry areas will reflect more light compared to the wet areas, creating a contrast and making the wet areas appear darker in comparison.