How can we prove the explanations for: why clothes get dark when they are wet, by experiments?
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fahim
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Coat a piece of cloth with varnish. Let it dry. – Hot Licks Feb 03 '15 at 13:27
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5Related question: Why wet is dark. Obligatory comment: Physical explanations are never proven, "only" not falsified. – ACuriousMind Feb 03 '15 at 13:31
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I guess you learn something new everyday. Thanks @ACuriousMind! – Vatsal Manot Feb 03 '15 at 14:55
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If "wet" causes the material to become less scattering, and thus darker, because of a smaller change in refractive index between the fibers and the liquid, then the experiment to do would be to change the refractive index of the liquid. If you can see a change in "darkness" as a function of refractive index (making sure to correct for surface reflection effects) this supports the explanation - you could also look for a change in the "lightness" in transmission, as Georg pointed out (and as I mentioned in this earlier answer. However, as ACuriousMind pointed out - you can't prove that it is the right explanation. You can only ever say "I still haven't disproved it".
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+1 yes, that's what I would do. As Georg points out, you could also measure light transmission as by definition light that is transmitted is not reflected. – John Rennie Feb 03 '15 at 15:07