The Science of Color

 Color is one of the most captivating aspects of our world. Color shapes our perception, continues to inspire emotions, and is crucial in art and science. But, have you given thought to the concept of color? How does light become red, blue, or green? Why is it possible to view a rainbow after it rains? This is the science of color, which involves the disciplines of physics, biology, and psychology. 

Color is not something we simply “see.” Color is the light wave which the eye and the mind perceive simultaneously. Telling the story of every light, every wavelength, and every perception, is the deeper blue of the ocean or the deeper red of the sunset. The art of colors is an astounding phenomenon and this article intends to elaborate on the way they are created, the way they are perceived, and the science that enables it and all.

Light and spectrum, color mixing and creation, and the study and measurement of color in modernity will all be learned throughout this expedition.

What Is Color?

Color the phenomenon of visual perception of light reflected or emanated by an object, or is color scientifically an outcome of certain phenomena whereby, light wave passes through the interstate of the eye. When splendid light strikes an object, certain wave lengths get absorbed and certain wave lengths filter through and get reflected.

Considered in color science, the visible spectrum is the very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye is capable of perceiving. It ranges approximately from 380 nanometers (violet) to 700 nanometers (red). All other visible color ranges are ‘invisible’ wavelengths, e.g. ultraviolet (above the violet) and infrared (beyond the red).

Knowing what ‘’color’’ is for real is the starting point for understanding how it is created, mixed, and how it is seen.

Light and Color Interaction.

Light and color are two things that are connected; in fact, without one, the other ceases to exist. Light is color and every light particle contains within it color. Light is color: made of electromagnetic waves, which is some form of energy that is in motion in space. These waves of energy are in different, of varying lengths and frequencies, and each wave is identified by a different color.

All the light that is visible, and when joined/combined, produces a white light.  That is why the sun, which is light containing different colors, is visible in white color to us. 

This shows, color is in fact, light of varying wavelengths. for example:

•         Red light has the longest wavelength (around 700 nm).

•         The light with the shortest wavelength (about 380 nm) is violet.

Each wavelength has a different amount of energy. Shorter wavelengths such as violet and blue have high energy, whereas longer wavelengths such as red have low energy. This is why digital screens can cause eye strain, blue light has more energy than the other colors on the screen.

In a way, color is a physical phenomenon of light. This relationship is what makes color science as interesting as it encompasses physics, optics and perception.

Comprehending the Color Spectrum.

The color spectrum is the range of colors which the human eye is able to perceive. This is usually viewed when a white light is dispersed using a prism or seen in the form of a rainbow. It has seven primary colors which are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet also known as ROYGBIV.

Visible Color Wavelengths 

This is the distribution of visible light with respect to wavelength: 

Which color has the longest wavelength? 

The color red has the longest wavelength (and the least amount of energy of all the visible colors). This is also the reason why red light is able to travel longer distances in the atmosphere.  Imagine why the sunsets are red.  The sun is setting and the light has to travel through a lot of air, and the air is thicker in the lower layers. 

Which color has the shortest wavelengths? 

Violet and blue are the shortest wavelengths and the most energetic. This is also why the sky is blue. It is blue because those wavelengths scatter more and are more visible when the sun is shining. 

Everything in between knows why the sky is green, red or blue, and digital screens display thousands of colors. It helps to understand the color spectrum. 

The Process of Color Creation 

The creation of color comes from the interaction of light, blending, and mixing. We visually perceive each color as a result of the light waves being combined, absorbed, or reflected.  When light of different wavelengths is combined, new colors are formed.

Mixing Colored Light

The process by which you mix different colors of lights is termed as additive color mixing. In light, the primary colors (red, green, and blue) can combine to form all other colors, even white. This will help explain these terms further:

•                    Red + Green = Yellow

•                    Red + Blue = Magenta

•                    Green + Blue = Cyan

•                    Red + Green + Blue = White

Creating New Colors 

Controlling light intensity and wavelength combinations can produce millions of shades. This is the principle behind the operation of digital screens. The red, green, and blue lights of a pixel are mixed together at varying intensities to form vivid images.

The Science of Light Waves

The concept of lightwaves is central to the science of colors. Light is said to have wave-particle duality, that is, it behaves as a particle and as a wave. When it comes to color, we think of it as light in its waved state in which there are certain wavelengths and frequencies.

Wavelength vs. Color

Each color has a certain light wavelength that is described in nanometers (nm). The wavelength is an important determinant of the color that we see:

•                    Long wavelengths (greater than 620 nm) are red.

•                    Medium wavelengths (500–600 nm) are yellow and green.

•                    Short wavelengths (less than 480 nm) are violet and blue.

Light is said to consist of quantum particles. The higher the energy the more potential there is for the particles of light to be found closer to the light source. That is why the light rays which are said to be “ultraviolet” are able to penetrate the skin and create heating sensation.

The Human Visible Spectrum

The human visible spectrum is the range of wavelengths that can be detected by the eyes, ranging from 380 to 700 nanometers. Even though this is a fraction of the whole gray scale, it is the key part of the electromagnetic spectrum through which we see the world wrapped in different colors.

How Do We See Color?

In the retina of the eye, there are specific cells called photoreceptors and they are of two major types. 

•                    Rods – Helps to see in darkness (not color sensitive).

•                    Cones – Helps to see in colors. 

There are three types of cone cells which absorb different wavelengths.

•                    S-cones – Short wavelengths (blue light).

•                    M-cones – Medium wavelengths (green light).

•                    L-cones – Long wavelengths (red light).

As light gets through the eye, it triggers the cones at the different levels. Each cone is then assigned a different signal which is then interpreted by the brain as a different color. For example:

•                    Perceiving yellow is what is done when the red and green cones are both strongly stimulated.

•                    Perceiving white is when all three cones are equally stimulated.

Why Do We See Different Colors?

 The different light combination that is interpreted by the brain defines the different colors that are seen. The light, texture and other colors around the object can all help influence the perception color — what is termed as color constancy. This is the reason why, under sunlight and fluorescent light, a red shirt is seen as red.

 The complex structure of the light, paired with the interpretation of the brain, makes a person sight a splendid example of biological engineering.

Color Mixing Explained

One of the most intriguing parts of color science is color mixing. It allows us to comprehend the fusion of light and pigment and the creation of countless shades that are seen in all forms of art, design, and nature.

What Color Do You Get When You Mix Red And Blue?

Adding blue light to red light produces a vivid purple-pink hue known as magenta. This phenomenon illustrates additive color mixing where light, rather than pigments, are involved. For each light color added, the hue gets further from red, finally attaining a shade of white.  

In contrast, red and blue paints mixed together yield a muddy violet or a dark hue of purple. This is due to pigments, which do not actually create wavelengths of light, but rather reflect and absorb certain wavelengths, hence the term “subtract” to dye light.  

What Do You Get When You Mix Blue And Green?  

In chromatic light, the combination of blue and green produces a bright turquoise called cyan. For pigment, the color is subdued to be a darker greenish-blue due to subtractive mixing.  

What Do You Get When You Mix Blue And Black?  

Black and blue pigments produce a darker shade known as midnight blue or navy blue, due to the more dominant hue of blue. Light is considered to be added, and because black lacks light, it becomes deeper and reduces brightness due to the waves of light plied.  

Light mixing has multiple applications, from TV or printing inks to clothing and photography, which makes it important to the science of color and light.

Additive vs. Subtractive Color Mixing

In order to explain color creation properly, one must first explain additive and subtractive color mixing, as these are the first two types of color theory systems.

Additive Mixing (Light-Based)

 Additive mixing occurs at the intersection of different colored lights. This is done using and the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model. This color model is used and the basis for every digital screen including smartphones, tablets, and TVs.

•                    Red + Green = Yellow

•                    Green + Blue = Cyan

•                    Red + Blue = Magenta

•                    Red + Green + Blue = White

In additive mixing, the more light that is used, the brighter the color. White will be achieved when all color light is used, which is how projectors and LED screens work.

Subtractive Mixing (Pigment-Based)

Subtractive mixing uses paints, inks, and dyes. Here, colors are the result of absorption of certain wavelengths and reflecting certain. The bases of subtractive colors are CMY (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow).

•                    Cyan + Magenta = Blue

•                    Magenta + Yellow = Red

•                    Cyan + Yellow = Green

•                    Cyan + Magenta + Yellow = Black (theoretically)

Printers add black (K) to this mixture forming the CMYK model used for color printing.

In short:

•                    Brighter = light + result add light.

•                    Subtractive = combining pigments → darker results

That difference explains why all paints mixed together makes brown or black, and why all lights mixed together makes white.

Color and White: The Nature of White light. 

When considered as separate colors, it may be considered to be the combination of all the colors that can be seen. When a light ray is equally characterized by all of the wavelengths that can be seen, it is perceived by the eye as white. This is the reason why sunlight, which has all of the light wavelengths, is seen as white by us during the day. 

Some of the colors that can be made include, White. 

Additive color mixing is the main factor that governs the creation of white light. White light is produced when red, green and blue lights are all put together to overlap at full intensity. This principle underlies all digital displays since they use the RGB model to generate millions of colors, which also includes white, by simply varying the brightness and ratios of the three primary lights.

FAQs

In what ways do we see colors?

According  to  physics, we see  colors when  light rays  reflect from an  object and  enters  the eyes of  a person. The  light rays  stimulates  the  some  specialized cells  in the retina, and  then sent to  the  appropriate sections of  the brain. The  brain interprets  these signals and  assigns  to  them  a  particular color based on  the  light wavelength emitted as  well  as  the  strength.

Why do we see different colors?

Seeing different colors is as a result of the fact that some objects absorb particular wavelengths of light and reflect others. The color we see is determined by the wavelengths which the object reflects. For instance, an object that is a leaf will be explained as green due to the fact that it reflects green light and absorbs a red and blue wavelength.

 What is the visible color spectrum?

The  visible spectrum  of  an  electromagnetic wavelength is  the  span of the electromagnetic spectrum that  a  human  can see, starting from approximately  380 nanometers up to  700  nanometers.  The  wavelengths in that  span of  an  electromagnetic spectrum generates the  colors in a  rainbow which is  well-known to be  ROYGBIV.

Why the sky blue and the sun sets is red?

The reason why the  sky  is  blue  in  color is  due to it  scattering while a  sunset occurs a  little close to  the  horizon while  light  is  scattering. The sunset at that time will be red due to the fact that the blue light is scattered and the red is left over, in the same way while a beam of light passes through a prism.

What is the difference between additive and subtractive color mixing?

For mixing additive colors, we use light (like Red, Green, and Blue (RGB)) and create color by combining wavelengths adding up to and yielding white light when all three are combined.

Which color has the highest energy?

Out of all visible colors, violet light has the highest energy due to having the lowest wavelength (about 380 nm). This explains why violet and blue light are more energetic compared to red or yellow light.

Conclusion 

Color is a way to connect all three fields – science, art, and emotion.  In the real world, color is used in many different ways.  It is part of the physics of light, optics, psychology, and biology.The color wheel and mixing paints and colors is more than an apreciation for the arts, it is also an understanding of science. It is the reason why a scientist or an artist or the sky itself can create a rainbow. Wherever you look, color is a universal language of the world we live in.

To put it in a different way, color is a beautiful representation of the endless music of the canvas in our world.