why do dark colors absorb more heat?
403550
Because their absoptance factor is higher. i.e. less heat radiation is reflected
560278
black absorbs heat, white deflects it
1004069
Ignore the above answers they are all horribly wrong. This is a chemistry question.\n\nColors in chemistry are due to two main phenomena. \n\n1. Light Absorption\n2. Charge Transfer\n\n\nFor the first case an electron can be promoted to a higher energy state by absorbing light energy. White light consists of wavelengths (about) 400-800 nanometers. Wavelength is inversly related to frequency which is related to the energy of light. The photonic energy of the light from certain wavelengths is absorbed to promote an electron. The rest of the light is transmitted. This transmitted light is what we see. But also keep in mind that the eye works strangely and we see mixed colors a little different.. I dont know why but just keep it in mind.\n\nThe second phenomena is charge transfer. This occurs when  an electron is transferred from one atom to to another. An example is KMnO4 (which has no d electrons) but is purple! This is because a electron is transferred from the oxygen to the manganese. \n\nAnd there are some other mechanisms for which colors are produced. One of the latest is now understood by a physics professor at ucla. Hes been studying how sound can interact with a bubble to produce light.
1136153
many materials absorb better at the infrared wavelengths than the shorter wavelengths so the absorbed energy is conserved as heat.  There are materials that absorb shorter wavelengths and convert the energy to heat, such as a microwave oven???  Water absorbs at that frequency (1-2 GHz) and the water molecule resonates.  The vibrational energy is re-emitted as heat due to a Stokes shift.\n\nThe shorter wavelengths are more energetic and more capable of depositing energy that might show up as heat but it depends on the absorption of the material itself.
473123
dark colored clothes absorb more heat than light colored ones. if you are wearing dark colored shirt, chances are you will feel warmer.
182762
This is because when heated, the atom gains energy. The electron in the atom will be excited to a higher energy level. After a while, it would lose the gained energy and release the gained energy in the form of light. Hence, coloured light is produced when they release energy. Some elements only produced certain colour because of the energy required to excite from one state to another are different from other elements. Elements can only be excited from one state to another with specific energy. In other word, the energy is quantised. This is related to the quantum theory. More info can be found on the net and textbook.
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.
72663
Its a cute question. :-)\nLet me explain it this way.\n\nShadows arent necessarily objects themselves. \nThey are just a patch of surface, which dont recieve direct light from the source (sun, lamp etc), but only recieve the scattered rays of light. \nAnd for this reason, these patches are dimly lit, making it look darker than the surrounding, which in our daily terms is 'black'. :-)
1077475
I like what people are saying about our perception of something being "colored" is based purely on the light reflected and absorbed by the object.  Something black absorbs all light (thus is colorless) which is why black clothing in the summer is a bad idea.  White colored things reflect all light which is why wearing white in summer is a good idea.  If there is NO light present than everything will be black.  If there is light present but at a frequency other than white (say red) everything will either be black and some will be red.  Does that mean that the world is composed of black and red things?  Of course not.  A great example of this is seen when one SCUBA dives.  In the water as you go deeper the colors of the spectrum begin to fade out as they cannot penetrate the water.  (I seem to remember that it starts at the red side, but I may be mistaken.)  Anyway, at 130 feet, say, if you were to look around everything would seem extremely dull, dark and colorless.  Does that mean that the fish and structure at 130 feet have no color?  NO!  Simply take a flashlight down and turn it on to reveal the vibrant colors of the deep.  It's not that there is no color, it's that the (sun)LIGHT can't reach it.
189753
That actually depends...Black as a color readilly absorbs heat so wearing black clothes would really be warmer. Now, you may wonder why Middle Eastern people wear those heavy looking dark robes...in the middle of the friggin desert? As mentioned black or dark colors absorb heat faster than light colors. So what happens is that those robes absorbs heat faster than the surrounding area. Warm air, as you know, rises. Thus those robes create a well ventilated zone. Being warmer than the surrounding area... cooler air rushes in or displaces the warm air...creating a light breeze.
355167
because they do not reflect the heat or light,like dark trees absorb heat and light  or white barked one ,like birch reflect the radiation or heat.\nwhite roofs are cool underneath they reflect the sun,black roofs are hot they absorb. the heat
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.
739943
Very simply: Every element when heated gives off a radiation frequency that is specific to itself. When the entire spectrum of light from a star is analyzed, those frequencies representing specific elements are absorbed and show up as dark lines in specific areas. Each star has a unique pattern. After correcting for any red or blue shift ( discuss that another time), the same elements will appear in the same spectral region.
479037
because all a flame is is particles of whatever is burning giving off energy in the form of electrmagnetic radiation, namely light. Different compounds and elements give off different wavelengths of light when heated hence the color of the flame.
503180
Darker colors absorb the sun's rays and heat is built up.  Lighter colors tend to reflect and they stay cooler.  That's why people tend to wear white or light colors in the summer and dark colors in the winter.
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.
563599
The answer would depend on the color to the samples.  Since dark colors absorp(Suck in) heat easier, black dirt would be warmer than tan sand if the were both in the same temperature and sun