A: The Color of Clothes Changes When Wet
The color of an object is determined by the light it reflects. When a surface is dry, the reflected light rays, which correspond to the color of the surface, mix with diffused white light from random scattering caused by the roughness and irregularities of the surface. In clothes, this mixing tends to fade the reflected color.
If clothes are immersed in water, all the kinks and interspaces are filled with water. This minimizes scattering on the surface, so the reflected light comes out unsuppressed with the basic hue of the cloth. As a result, clothes look darker when wet compared to when they are dry.
This effect is particularly noticeable on cotton clothes because the fibres are loosely packed with many microscopic air spaces. This increases the surface area and consequently the scattering of light. Therefore, cotton clothes look light when dry and dark when wet. The effect is not as pronounced in synthetic and silk clothes, as their surfaces are smoother and less water is absorbed.
G. Meena Raajeshwari, Coimbatore, and G. Sivaramakrishna, Tadepalligudem.
Published: April 29, 2025, 03:02 pm IST
Reference : https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/why-do-clothes-look-dark-when-immersed-in-water/article69504596.ece
