3 Apr
2006
3 Apr
'06
6:18 p.m.
On Mon, Apr 03, 2006 at 01:41:26PM -0400, John Allain wrote:
You tried that experiment with cotton that has been washed, right?
Almost all detergents (especially those for washing white fabric) have
whiteners added to make the fabric look whiter than white: they trap UV
light and release white light with a slight blue tinge.
You just triggered those residual chemicals.
Plain cotton (as in: plucked from the plant and only washed with pure
water) should not exhibit this behaviour.
Regards,
Alex.
--
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work." -- Thomas A. Edison
Why? Radiation
is like light - shine a flashlight at something
(non-phosphoric, pedants! ;) and it doesn't continue glowing.
Cotton must be phosphoric then. Hit it with a strobe
unit and it will glow for a second or two afterwards.