: if colour is a spectrum going red thru purple then why do we have colours like magenta or pink, which seemingly connect purple back to red?
In: Physics
The longest wave length we can see is red light. The shortest wavelength we can see is violet light, which we often call a shade purple but they are not the same. We can technically see a little beyond violet in to the ultraviolet range but most of this light is usually blocked somewhat by our cornea (lens) and so does not make it to our retina (light/color detector). People who have fake corneas from cataract surgery can sometimes see more of this ultraviolet light. This light is described as a bluish white color.
Just a note, black lights, also known as UV light look blue or purple to us because they produce a spectrum of wavelengths around UV and we are seeing those. We can also detect some of the intensity of UV light.
If the colors of light on the light spectrum were individual musical notes, then magenta is like a chord…multiple notes played together.
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