Why does light reflect off of white surfaces more than dark ones?

Answer 1

Because White absorbs the least amount of the spectrums of light, and dark absorbs it, dang, that doesn't answer the question.
I don't know, when the photons hit the electrons of the white surface, it tends to have a more bouncy effect that the black surface, because the molecular structure doesn't allow the spectrum to be changed into kenetic energy? And black does? the black atoms keep shaking, not releasing the energy through the visible spectrum?

Answer 2

It's actually the other way around.

White surfaces are white because they reflect a lot light. Dark surfaces are dark because they don't reflect a lot of light.

Answer 3

If something is white, that means that it reflects all the colors of the rainbow equally. If something is black, that means it absorbs all the colors of the rainbow equally. So since almost all of the light hitting a white surface is bouncing off it, there is a greater chance that some of the reflected light will enter your eyes.

Answer 4

Michael C is right. What the human eye sees as color depends on what wavelengths of visible light are reflected by a particular surface. The reflectivity of a surface depends on its chemical composition. Molecules absorb light of different wavelengths in different amounts. For example, chlorophyll mostly absorbs light in the blue and red portions of the visible light spectrum, which is why leaves appear green.

Answer 5

white is white because of how much light it reflects and black is the same actually i think they are trying to find true black (black that reflects no light at all)

Answer 6

the majorty of the lightwaves (color) is absorbed by the dark surface, wich allows less energy to reflect, making it less reflective.

i think thats how it goes. its been a wile since high school science

Answer 7

white reflects all wavelengths of light, whereas black absorbs most wavelengths of light.