If black color absorbs light then how can we see reflections from black colored metal sheet?(e.g. body of car)
370671
because the reflection is off the clear coat that they put on to protect the paint.
143483
Sunlight from the Sun would have to reflect off something in space in order for that region of space not to appear black.  For example the Moon doesn't look black because Sunlight is reflecting off its surface.\n\nSpace is for the most part black since there is an absence of material that can produce or relfect light there.
233392
Any solid mass in the heavens has some reflective properties the same as here on earth.\nA white sheet will reflect more sunlight than a black (or dark colored) sheet. In reflecting more sunlight/energy, it absorbs more heat.  I'm sure you've felt this in dark colored cars in the summer or have watched dark road patches expand and melt quicker than the packed white snow on the same surface in the winter.\nWell, all solid bodies have a certain "color"; \nMars is red because of all the iron oxide (rust) on the surface (it has no cloud cover) and that is the reflected light that we see. \nVenus looks bright, not because of its surface, but because of the clouds in the atmosphere (alot of them in its sky) and it reflects alot of the sunlight.\nStars twinkle.\nPlanets do not twinkle.\nOur moon is covered with a fine dust, greyish, almost white in color and that is the reflected light that we see.\nIf you look at the sky during a new moon you can faintly see the very dark grey of the moon. This is the light that is reflected off the earth, which hits the moon and is reflected back to us (very faint).\nMr Giraffe...all objects are reflective, even dark ones. That's how we see them.\nWhite is the entire spectrum of visible light being reflected. It is a combination of all colors.\nBlack is the absence of color being reflected.\nWhen you see the color red, it is the red part of the spectrum that is being reflected from the object. All the other colors are being absorbed. So what you see is that which is not absorbed by the object, but refkected by it.\nAny questions?
915429
We only see the light reflected off of an object.  Google the invisibility cloak that scientists have comeup with.  It works by refracting and redirecting light .
157911
use a blacK light and see what happens
446565
Actually it's the other way around, the red is what is reflected and most of the rest is absorbed.  It has to do with the different wavelenths being absorbed by different atoms on the surface.  Some atoms or atomic bonds will reflect certain energies and absorb others.\n\nOr they can absorb energy and re-emit it as a lower energy photon which can also happen.
67995
The basics...\n\nBackground:\nLight from the sun, light bulbs, etc. hit objects.  That light is reflected off but as a color which is a specific wavelength of light.  Our eyes get those reflect wavelengths and that's how we see.  Different color objects reflect light as different wavelengths.\n\nMirrors:\nMirrors reflect light off of them just like any other object.  The difference is mirrors reflect the same wavelength that hit them.\n\nSo, images seem to reflect when looking at a mirror.\n\nThere is a lot more too it but that is the basics.
65283
I have a theory.  Paper is semi transparent to start with.  That is why you can 'trace'.  Now, paper is made of small fibers.  The fibres are aligned randomly.  Each fibre is reflecting light in a different direction and you see white if no dye has been added.  Well, put oil on top of the paper and the light will not reflect back at you as much.  Without this interference (reflection) you can see through the paper more easily.\n\nAs an analogy .. if you look west across a lake an hour before sunset, you can't see the other side as well because of the glare.  The other side is other wise easy to see.  Cut down the glare and you can see the other side more easily.
578383
There are two types of substances\n1] Transparent.eg.Glass   2] Opaque.eg.iron                    Glass allows light to pass thru it as atoms in glass are in contact with each other.So when 1 atom receives energy,it vibrates with a greater amplitude[atoms are always in a state of vibration].It disturbs the neighbouring atom which accepts the energy liberated by the 1st atom.It transmits the energy to the next atom and so on....\n\nIn case of iron ,atoms areplaced even more closer which results in reflection of the entire light.In case of glass,there is partial reflection and partial refraction
733136
All elements when heated give off a signature in the light spectrum. For example if you heated a piece of pure iron until it glowed then put a prism in front  of the light, you would see the spectrum of light -- obvious stuff. However because it is the metal iron there would be slots-- frequencies that would be missing. These signatures are all very different from each other depending on which element(s) are giving off light. When something is red shifted the signature is still there but it's place in the spectrum is in the wrong place. It has shifted to the red end of the spectrum-- it is in the longer or red end of it.\n\nThere is two ways to think of this, the other is that when heated elements will give off light in only so many frequencies- the rest of the frequencies are missing.
282836
First realize that since the beam is passing through something, reflection has nothing to do with it.  The only possible answer is the one that mentions refraction.
1053233
the hot pavement creates a layer of hot air just above it.. and the cooler air above that make a difference in density barrier.. which reflects light... as long as it is below a specific angle <so you see the reflection from far off but not right at your feet>\n\nI think.. hehe
700772
Because the color of any object which does not emit light is really due to the effect of reflection, there are various ways in which color is "generated".\n\nThe color spectrum is Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.  Because the light emitted by the Sun is most intense in the Yellow part of the spectrum, we see Yellow as the brightest "color".  Go in any direction away from Yellow and we see darker and darker colors. \n\nWe see the color of an object as the summation of the light that is reflected by that object.  When a piece of cloth or paper is wet, it absorbs water which fills in the spaces between the fibers.  Water reflects mostly in the blue spectrum, so that adds to the total light which is reflected by the object.  This added blue light makes the total light appear "darker" to us since it "drags" the spectrum of refelcted light away from Yellow.
961817
Above answer is quite to the point.. i would just like to add that, if u consider a light ray entering a open window there is very less chance that it will escape out again. in short it can be assumed to be absorbed.  \n\nIn the black body radiation, we need a perfect radiator n perfect absorber.
957910
The visible light region is from 0.7 µm to 0.4µm of the spectrum. The color of an object that we see is the color or wavelength of light reflected from the visible spectrum. All other colors or wavelength are absorbed. the following chemicals are different in terms of wavelength because of their different nature's regarding reflection of particular wavelength or the absorption of other.
590116
When light falls onto an object a part of the spectrum is reflected and another part is absorbed. Depending on the (micro)texture of the object, different parts of the spectrum are reflected and we sense another color. Since there is a differennce in microtexture between wet and dry clothes, we experience a slightly different color.
427556
This might help:  An object color is determined by the wavelengths of light that it reflects.  Objects that are "white" aren't really white...the objects merely reflect all wavelengths of light (when you combine all wavelengths you get white light).  Objects that are "black", appear that way because they reflect back little or no light...absorbing it all.  It's why you don't want to wear black on a sunny day....your shirt will absorb a ton of the light and get hot.