How It Works

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Hot headed

■ Hi HIW, How come black-haired people’s heads get hotter than blondes? Me and my friend noticed that my head was hot every time the Sun shone on it for a long time, while my blonde friend never had a problem. Lezeiram

This is a good question Lezeiram, and it is all to do with why we see different objects as different colours. Black and dark-coloured objects absorb more of the light from the Sun, while lighter coloured objects will reflect more of its wavelengths. These wavelengths of visible

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