If reflective surfaces deflect light, and metal is reflective, then why does it get so much hotter in the sun than an all black surface?

Question

If reflective surfaces deflect light, and metal is reflective, then why does it get so much hotter in the sun than an all black surface?

In: Physics

Answer 1

The metal doesn’t actually *get* hotter in the sense of having a higher temperature… it’s just that it *feels* hotter because it sheds its heat into cooler things like our skin much faster than, say, black plastic or a black T-shirt would.