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Re: Why does fabric look dark when it's wet?
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Re: Why does fabric look dark when it's wet?


  • Subject: Re: Why does fabric look dark when it's wet?
  • From: "Stephen P. Clark" <email@hidden>
  • Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 12:01:50 -0500

On Monday, May 17, 2004, at 11:12 AM, John MacDonald wrote:

A friend of mine is a reference librarian. She was once asked to settle a bar bet by answering the following question: Why does fabric look dark when it's wet? Unfortunately, she couldn't find the answer but is still curious. Can anyone explain it?

My take on this is that:

Fabric, when wet, looks darker because the fabric's fibers are diffusing less the light waves they reflect. In some cases they may also be laying more tightly packed together, in others they may be "bridged" by the moisture causing them essentially to bind together. The net effect is to reduce the amount of diffuse reflected light.

There's also an element of fewer surface interfaces to consider; the more media transitions light has to cross over, the less light gets diffused.

Most other materials function similarly: road & sidewalk pavement, ground soil, wood, stone, etc.

Steve Clark
Chicago
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 >Why does fabric look dark when it's wet? (From: John MacDonald <email@hidden>)

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