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The greater the albedo of a surface, the less it is heated by insolation.

a) True
b) False

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The statement is true as albedo represents the amount of solar radiation reflected by a surface, with higher albedo surfaces reflecting more sunlight and consequently absorbing less energy, leading to less heating.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement 'The greater the albedo of a surface, the less it is heated by insolation' is true. Albedo is a measure of how much solar radiation is reflected by a surface. Surfaces with higher albedo, such as snow and ice, reflect a greater percentage of incoming sunlight and therefore absorb less energy, leading to less heating.

In contrast, darker surfaces with low albedo absorb more solar energy, which increases their temperature. This principle helps to understand why areas covered in snow tend to stay cooler compared to darker surfaces under the same insolation conditions.

User Bob Fincheimer
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