that is what my friend asked me one day while she was deeply absorbed in her own planet.... please help her!
2006-09-12 07:30:51 · 12 answers · asked by kim78 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Reflecting the sky isn't the full answer. You have to ask yourself, why does water look blue, even from space? There's no 'Sky' in space to reflect?
Water does act as a reflector, but this has an interesting effect.
White light, such as from the Sun, is made of up many different wavelengths of light, running together. When these different wavelengths strike a reflecting material, the light literally bounces off the molecules of the substance. In the visible spectrum, the wavelength determines the color of the light.
From longest to shortest wavelengths:
Red -> Orange -> Yellow -> Green
-> Blue -> Indigo -> Violet
Water is not a purely reflective surface. Obviously some light goes through the water, some is absorbed, and some is reflected. The chances of a specific photon of light being reflected are directly related to it's wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the less likely it is to be reflected. The shorter the wavelength, then, the more likely to be reflected.
What this means, to make a short answer longer, is that the blue, indigo, and violet components of white light, are more likely to be reflected back from the water, making the water appear blue.
Now, for the question of why a glass of water appears clear, while a body of water appears blue.
We are dealing with statistics. Shorter wavelengths are more 'likely' to be reflected, while longer wavelengths are less 'likely' to be reflected, AS THEY TRAVEL THROUGH THE WATER. The more water these photons have to travel through, the more opportunities they have to be reflected. This means that your effects become more pronounced.
Certainly the color of the trim, the bottom of the pool, liners, etc, will all aid in changing the color of the pool. Even white pools still have blue water, even if very slight.
2006-09-12 07:36:50 · answer #1 · answered by Matt 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ha.This is interesting. Do u see that the sky is blue? The sea is blue due to the sky's reflection of the water. There are 7 colours in the light spectrum.red,orange,yellow,blue,green,indigo,violet.
All the colours of the light spectrum is absorbed by the water and except blue and the light in the blue wavelength is being reflected into our eyes and we see blue water.
2006-09-12 14:36:52 · answer #2 · answered by lemondevil88 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water is a refractive material...which means its color is dependent on the materials around it and how light is reflected off those surfaces. When light hits a very large pool of mostly pure water, the infrared part of the light spectrum is absorbed by the water, and the ultraviolet (blue) portion of the light is bounced back outwards. This is why water appears blue in planetary pictures and often at oceans and lakes, but will take on the color of your hand when in your hand.
2006-09-12 14:35:41 · answer #3 · answered by Gamerbear 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sea is not blue: if that were so, when you scoop up sea water you would see blue water. In the Caribbean, the water close to the land looks green--that is because it reflects the terrain. Except for dirt and debris--the sea is colorless.
Boaz.
2006-09-12 15:26:07 · answer #4 · answered by Boaz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In fact, all white things are blue. If you wash white clothes, the washing power contains blue ink. (really)
The air reflects its blue color in the sea. The sky looks blue, but if you look very close in front of you, you see, no blue air at all. It has something to do with reflecting and breaking of light. (the angel of light is different from water to air and so on) (different mediums).
hope it is useful for you
2006-09-12 14:35:01 · answer #5 · answered by frenzie-ann 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The water is ble because it is reflecting off of the sky. when you hold it in your hands, it is a light tinge of blue but not as dark as the water.
2006-09-12 14:49:44 · answer #6 · answered by Chase H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
large bodies of water will reflect the sky, if it is cloudy, red-orange ins sunset, bright blue in the day, or midnight stars even the landscape will reflect epically if the water is clean clear and still.
search yahoo images for examples, natural landscape can be breathtaking.
2006-09-12 14:42:51 · answer #7 · answered by smart*tart 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
water is colourless..the sea looks blue coz it reflects light from the sky, which is blue..n sometiumes when it looks green, it's due to the aquatic species underneath ...and there's no colour that gets reflected off when it's in our hands..that's why..
2006-09-12 14:42:51 · answer #8 · answered by Rollester 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sea is blue because the sky is blue.
2006-09-12 14:35:33 · answer #9 · answered by Scott S 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it reflects the blue of the sky.
2006-09-12 14:36:15 · answer #10 · answered by Abby 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋