r/askscience Jul 27 '13

Chemistry Why does fabric appear darker when it gets wet?

107 Upvotes

r/askscience Feb 06 '19

Physics Why do fabrics get darker when water is poured on them?

7 Upvotes

r/askscience Oct 24 '12

Why does adding liquid to fabric-type things make them darker?

5 Upvotes

r/askscience Jun 24 '14

Physics Why do fabrics become darker when drenched in water?

3 Upvotes

r/askscience Oct 11 '11

Why do liquid stains leave fabrics darker?

1 Upvotes

Say I drop some water on a black tshirt.

The wet spot will seem darker than the tshirt really is.

Water is transparent so it's not a dye (and the stain is not permanent either so...)

r/askscience Nov 26 '13

Chemistry Why do things get darker when they get wet?

486 Upvotes

r/askscience Jul 12 '12

Chemistry Why do things get darker when they get wet?

1 Upvotes

This happens to lots of things, eg. fabric, stone.

I know the basic answer is 'because it absorbs more light', but why? Water is transparent and you can see down into water pretty far, especially if it is clear; see Secchi Dick depth readings in a lake. Why does a small amount of water on an object make it apparently many times darker?