06-16-2021, 01:42 PM
I don't agree with either of the below quotes taken from random internet articles. Everyone knows black absorbs more heat than white or light colors. Does that translate into clothing? Can someone explain the thermal dynamics between clothing and skin?
"When we wear white, we cook ourselves. The best color to keep cool in the heat, it turns out, is to wear black. Black absorbs everything coming in from the sun, sure. But black also absorbs energy from the body instead of reflecting it back."
"In most cases white clothes look just like black clothes in the infrared spectrum. They both reflect about the same amount of thermal radiation."
My own uneducated guess is the amount of sweat a fabric absorbs and retains is more important than color for how uncomfortable a physically active person feels due to the heat.
"When we wear white, we cook ourselves. The best color to keep cool in the heat, it turns out, is to wear black. Black absorbs everything coming in from the sun, sure. But black also absorbs energy from the body instead of reflecting it back."
"In most cases white clothes look just like black clothes in the infrared spectrum. They both reflect about the same amount of thermal radiation."
My own uneducated guess is the amount of sweat a fabric absorbs and retains is more important than color for how uncomfortable a physically active person feels due to the heat.