Why does black heat up faster than white?

Answer 1

Because the color 'black' is a result of zero reflection/100% absorption of light energy. 'White' is a result of 100% reflection, zero absorption. When you absorb light energy, you heat up. When you reflect it, you don't heat up as much.

Answer 2

Think about what black means. Or White. Or a color.

What you perceive as color is the result of what frequencies of light are reflected to you.

Light containing the full spectrum of color appears white. This is more or less what you see as daylight. There are frequencies you can't see of course.

When you see the green of grass, it is because the nature of the material is such that it absorbs all visible frequencies of light except green, which gets reflected back to your eyes. That is why it looks green.

When you see something as black, it is because almost no light is being reflected. Some of course is reflected or you would "see" nothing at all, but almost all of the light is absorbed.

Since light is energy, the more a material aborbs, the more of the light's energy is captured by that material, and translates into heat.

White is reflecting most of the range of light, therefore absorbs less light (and heat).

The only thing I can think of better than white is a mirror; nearly perfect reflection (of visible light at least).

Answer 3

White light that we get from the sun can actually be broken down into an array of colors (colors that can be seen in a rainbow). Objects that look a color, absorb all other colors except the color they display, which is reflected and absorbed by the eyes. For example, a purplish flower will absorb orange, indigo, green, and will reflect red and blue, which makes it look purple.

Black is actually an absence of light, where the object will absorb all the colors of white light, reflecting nothing. As all the colors are absorbed, the energy possesed by the light is also absorbed as heat. White however, is absense of color, and hence a white object will not absorb any of the types of colors, reflecting most of the light, and hence energy, away.

Answer 4

Light is energy. We see color when white light (made up of all colors) hits an object. The object absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects the rest. If an object appears red, then the object absorbs, blue, yellow and other colors that isn't red.

A black object absorbs more colors than a white object. A black object absorbs more light energy than a white object. The light energy is converted into heat.

Answer 5

Black absorbs light and white reflects it.

Answer 6

black absorbs heat whereas white reflects it

Answer 7

Black absorb
White reflect most of it