Why does the color of clothing appear different in direct light than it does under fluorescent lignt?
White light is a blend of all colors, each of which has a different wavelength. Although direct light (sunlight) and fluorescent light both appear as “white light,” each of these types of light contains slightly different mixtures of colored light. When white light is directed at a piece of clothing, certain wavelengths are absorbed by the clothing and certain wavelengths are reflected. A piece of clothing that absorbs all wavelengths, for instance, appears black, and clothing that reflects all wavelengths appears white. The mixture of wavelengths that is reflected back to our eye determines the color we perceive the clothing to be. When sunlight shines on an article, we see one set of reflected wavelengths; when fluorescent light shines on the same article, we see another set of reflected…
