I’ve heard that black clothing is impractical to wear in a sunny day as light gets eaten up a lot, but if we were to be in, let’s say, a classroom, then we mostly have to worry about our own body heat than if we were outside, thermal energy.
So is black clothing impractical to wear indoors? Or will it be just as hot if you were to wear any other color of clothing?
In: Physics
Black is the ultimate absorber of light, outdoors you’re typically exposed to the sun which generates a great deal of heat via light. That’s why you are warmer outdoors if you wear black. What colour you wear doesn’t make a difference if you’re talking about heat coming from a radiator or air vent. But if you were to stick an arm in a black sleeve and an arm in a white sleeve under the same light inside I do believe you’d find the black sleeve gets warmer faster.
> So is black clothing impractical to wear indoors?
Black absorbs most light waves from the visible spectrum. But thermal heat is not the same as light. It’s a form of radiation energy (in the infrared spectrum, which is invisible to our eyes).
Black absorbs a similar amount of thermal radiation as other colors. But it has a higher emissity. That means it radiates more heat than other colors.
Indoors, the breathability of your clothing will matter more than its color. Tight-fitting black leather pants will trap heat around your body; a breathable black cotton t-shirt will not.
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