Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: DoctorBeaver on 01/03/2009 00:12:24

Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 01/03/2009 00:12:24
Well? Why? Oh, and frost. That's white too.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: HaroldH on 01/03/2009 01:42:59
Water isn't blue.  It is clear.  Oceans etc appear blue because of the way that light is refracted in them.

Ice is white because the crystals reflect all visible light that hits them.

Generally the apparent color of a substance is determined by the way it reflects light.  Since the organization of the molecules is different when crystallized as in ice to free as in water, the light is reflected differently.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: lightarrow on 01/03/2009 02:57:54
Well? Why? Oh, and frost. That's white too.
Water is blue because light is transmitted inside, some of the red components are absorbed and part of this light is diffused back (and filtered again); snow and frost are white because light is reflected off, so it isn't filtered out enough (in the process of reflections, only a small layer of molecules give a contribute).
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 01/03/2009 04:49:23
The water coming out of my taps isn't blue!
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: lightarrow on 01/03/2009 10:23:05
The water coming out of my taps isn't blue!
Weird. You don't usually put copper sulfate in it?   [:)]
That tickness is not big enough for the effect to be visible (the absorption coefficient is low, and that's a lucky, or it could be problematic to make spectrometer determination of chemicals in water solution, in analytical chemistry).
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 01/03/2009 12:15:00
Water is blue. We've had that discussion here before.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_of_water)

It is a common misconception that in large bodies, such as the oceans, the water's color is blue due to the reflections from the sky on its surface. This is not true, but was believed to be so decades ago. The main reason the ocean is blue is that water itself is a blue-colored chemical. Optical scattering from water molecules provides a second source of the blue color, but colored light caused by scattering only becomes significant with extremely pure water.

So now answer my question!  [:P]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 01/03/2009 12:28:39
Well Water is transparent ... and Light is happy to pass through it ...

where as ice is not transparent ... cos ice crystal shaped like this  *********   will not allow light to pass through it ... and those Crystals r not transparent when they combine with each other ...

Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 01/03/2009 12:48:34
Ah, that could be the answer. Thank you.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: dentstudent on 02/03/2009 07:52:59
    
If water is blue, why is snow white?

Because the seven dwarves.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 02/03/2009 08:17:10
Ayyyee? [???]
Why is Snow White? Because the seven dwarves??? [???]
How does that work...........?
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Don_1 on 02/03/2009 08:30:50
Ayyyee? [???]
Why is Snow White? Because the seven dwarves??? [???]
How does that work...........?

It doesn't. The dwarves are on strike.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: chris on 02/03/2009 08:39:42
Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 02/03/2009 09:32:54
   
If water is blue, why is snow white?

Because the seven dwarves.

i know snow is white due to ice  crystal shaped like this  *********   will not allow light to pass through it ... when light can't pass through it it gets reflected by ice crystals .. so, it looks like white cos ccrystals in it r white !! GOT IT !!

WHo told u that water is Blue ?

water is transparent !! Well Water is transparent ... and Light is happy to pass through it ...

where as ice cube is not transparent ... due to above reason I told u !! GOT IT
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 02/03/2009 09:35:45
Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris
hi Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 02/03/2009 09:36:32
Yes, he get's it!
DoctorBeaver is a smart chap [:)]
Like yourself perhaps ScientificBoysClub?
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 02/03/2009 09:36:48
SBC - Just because something is transparent doesn't mean it has to be colourless. Similarly, being coloured does not mean the substance must be opaque. Consider stained glass.

Chris - Thank you. Nicely explained.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 02/03/2009 09:38:03
Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris
hey Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.
Do you know who Chris Smith is??? [???]
You don't just say to Chris, 'Hey Chris, guess what, you're wrong'!!! GOT IT!!! [:D][:D]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 02/03/2009 09:41:45
SBC - Just because something is transparent doesn't mean it has to be colourless. Similarly, being coloured does not mean the substance must be opaque. Consider stained glass.

Chris - Thank you. Nicely explained.

hi there

when two transparent medium combined to each other forms a spectrum  ... GOT IT lol
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 02/03/2009 09:44:27
Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris
hey Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.
Do you know who Chris Smith is??? [???]
You don't just say to Chris, 'Hey Chris, guess what, you're wrong'!!! GOT IT!!! [:D][:D]

ok ok  he is also a human like us I give respect to every one !!
Who are you calling human?! [:D]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 02/03/2009 09:45:44
Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris
hey Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.
Do you know who Chris Smith is??? [???]
You don't just say to Chris, 'Hey Chris, guess what, you're wrong'!!! GOT IT!!! [:D][:D]

ok ok  he is also a human like us I give respect to every one !!
Who are you calling human?! [:D]
why do u diverting the topic ?... oh common everyone is human  ........
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 02/03/2009 09:47:26
Yes, he get's it!
DoctorBeaver is a smart chap [:)]
Like yourself perhaps ScientificBoysClub?
I am just a student ... i am not that smart and soon I will be ...
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 02/03/2009 09:48:05
Yes, he get's it!
DoctorBeaver is a smart chap [:)]
Like yourself perhaps ScientificBoysClub?
I am just a student ... i am not that smart and soon I will be ...
You're so modest

------
Alright, enough of this chat... I am going to sleep.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 02/03/2009 09:51:23
We're not all human, you know!  [:(!]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 02/03/2009 12:56:47
We're not all human, you know!  [:(!]

yeah u must be an alien
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: danpetersrocks on 02/03/2009 13:20:56
you do also get yellow snow!
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 02/03/2009 13:41:46
you do also get yellow snow!

Someone had to say it, didn't they!
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Karsten on 02/03/2009 14:12:34
But the ocean is not always blue. Sometimes it is gray. Or even brownish. Or almost black. Lakes rarely are blue at all. I only know of one lake that appears blue sometimes.

Why is that if water is either supposed to be blue or refracts light to appear blue (I cannot figure out which one is supposed to be the correct choice)? What changes? My eyes? [???]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Karen W. on 02/03/2009 15:51:21
 
If water is blue, why is snow white?

Because the seven dwarves.

No thats because that is what Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm chose to make her...pure as the driven snow.. she represented good wheras the stepmother represented evil. Black and White representing good and evil stemming from biggotry and prejudice  of the times.....as I understood...in so that old in a bigotted stereotype thinking that black represented bad or evil and whites  good and Purity....What a load of crap such prejudice!
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: dentstudent on 02/03/2009 16:06:02
Karen - I was making a jocular remark based on the assumption that most would have read and concerned themselves over why snow is white rather than the question "Why is Snow White" which clearly is missing the question clause (namely the "what?" part), in the same way that the answer to "Why is sand yellow" is "because the seaweed", hence the answer to my original question fits nicely as "because the seven dwarves". Do you see? I was not making a commentary on bigotry or prejudice. [:)]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Bored chemist on 02/03/2009 19:10:46
"Snow blue and the 7 dwarves" would get muddled with the Smurfs.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Karen W. on 02/03/2009 19:53:11
Karen - I was making a jocular remark based on the assumption that most would have read and concerned themselves over why snow is white rather than the question "Why is Snow White" which clearly is missing the question clause (namely the "what?" part), in the same way that the answer to "Why is sand yellow" is "because the seaweed", hence the answer to my original question fits nicely as "because the seven dwarves". Do you see? I was not making a commentary on bigotry or prejudice. [:)]

Oh Stuart I was not meaning my post like that...Lol !
APOLOGIES  I ONLY FOUND IT FUNNY THAT WE BOTH THOUGHT ABOUT THE FAIRY TAIL and I was trying to post my smart aleck remark about Snow White when yours posted ahead of mine... so mine was ment as acknowledgment of what you saw also.. but then my mind as usual went all funky back to editing improper stories in children's literature which these day would be deemed inappropriate, with good cause...I too apologise to thread author also....I was only finding humor in the snow white question when my head side railed...sorry for falling off topic...

I never for a moment thought you were thinking in the lines of biggotry...I was taught to look at childrens lierature with an eye towards editing the inapproprateness of certain stories in usase in our classrooms...
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 02/03/2009 20:04:00
Quote
I ONLY FOUND IT FUNNY THAT WE BOTH THOUGHT ABOUT THE FAIRY TAIL

Do fairies have tails?  [???]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Karsten on 02/03/2009 23:33:23
I feel ignored.  [:(]
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 02/03/2009 23:39:24
There there, Karsten (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fcomfort%2F2.gif&hash=51facd7599d1f1ea82e777d7eb5ac7e6)
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: Karsten on 02/03/2009 23:43:27
Well, sniff, thanks. But...

...I had a real question up higher.
Title: If water is blue, why is snow white?
Post by: lightarrow on 03/03/2009 00:41:04
Well, sniff, thanks. But...

...I had a real question up higher.
1. We are considering clean water.
2. We are not considering reflection phenomena.