Does black paint absorb light or reflect it?

Question

Either way, if you have something painted black in pitch black (no light) then does the paint turn white because of nothing to reflect or absorb?

Please tryt o answer the second part as well. Thank you for your answers.

I'm not asking if it changes the paint. I'm was just wondering if, since there was no light to absorb, it would seem white.

Answer 1

You doofus.

The color black will absorb light (that's why black shirts are hotter in the summer). White is all of the spectrum of light being bounced back (reflected) at your eyes. If there's no light (like when the room is pitch black) you will see black, because no light is being reflected back at you. There has to be some light reflected to see color (part of the spectrum), or white (all of the spectrum).

Answer 2

Black paint absorbs light. That's why it looks black. If it reflected all light, it would look white.

I don't see why it would turn white. Color is merely a physical property of the paint, and just because it has no light to absorb doesn't mean that it'll change the substance. If you really want to, try it for yourself. find somewhere pitch black, paint a chunk of wood black, and put the wood in the pitch black place and see if it comes out white.

Answer 3

The black painted object absorbs visible light, but re-radiates much of it as infrared. This is not reflection, but the re-radiation is important because otherwise the object would just keep absorbing light (energy) and increasing in temperature until it melted.

In the dark, the object is still black, in fact everything in the completely dark room is technically black. For the object to look white, it would need to be reflecting white light (impossible in a dark room).

Answer 4

Black absorbs light. Therefore none (or very little light) is reflected. The result is a black surface.

Objects that are blue say, absorb all the other colors, and reflect ONLY the wavelenth(s) corresponding to that shade of blue.

Same holds for any other color.

White, on the other hand reflects light.

Answer 5

Paint doesn't change colors by whether you have light on or not. It's forumated with the pigments that give it a particular colors and (apart from maybe fading over many years) it will stay true. Black colors absorb every color of the visible spectrum of light. If it's dark in the room, it's your eyes that can't distinguish what color it is, not that the paint has changed.

Answer 6

black paint absorbs light.

no, if the black paint had nothing left to absorb, it would remain black, for because there is nothing to absorb, the rods and cones in your eye would not be able to register colour because there is no light for them to absorb.
if there is not light, everything looks black. so it can be the complete absence of colour or all colours being absorbed.

Answer 7

Black paint absorbs all wavelengths and that's why you see black and no color (white included). The paint's chemicals do not change when the lights go out, so its still the same color.

Answer 8

black colour absorbs the light...so we prefer painting the buildings with white as it is a good reflector..on the contrary
black is a good absorber

Answer 9

Black paint absorbs light. If there is no light, it is still black, but you would have to light a match to confirm it.

Answer 10

All dark things absorb light.