How can fluorescent clothing appear even brighter than white clothing, if they have no glowing components?

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I was walking in the park when I passed by a woman who wore the most shocking neon pink shirt, it stood out so much. And this made me think, if white clothes don’t stand out despite being the brightest colour (people wearing white clothes in the park didn’t trigger my attention), why did the pink clothes stand out? What factors could be at play?

The park has a lot of grass and bushes, so maybe my eyes were so used to seeing green during my walk, and devoid of red, that the instant I saw a shade of red, triggered the red cones more strongly?

Did the neon pink stand out because maybe humans are gravitated to notice shades of red easily, as ancient humans may have needed to spot for berries and blood?

Perhaps it could have been my biases, at just noticing a colour that is different than what the other people in the park have been wearing?

Maybe fluorescent clothes do glow slightly, like how glow in the dark paints work? It was 6:30 pm so the sun was setting, but it wasn’t dark or anything. So this is unlikely.

I’d love to hear an explanation (but please explain simply, as if I am 5)

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4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s because of fluorescence precisely, not brightness. They are absorbing and reflecting ultraviolet, as well as regular visible light, making them seem more intense to the eye. They’re converting ordinary invisible light into visible light.

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