So if red wavelengths of light are the longest wavelengths of light, and blue/violet are the shortest (meaning they are on the opposite sides of the visible spectrum we can see), why does red flow into purple and into blue so nicely on the color wheel with no gap. Are all wavelengths (radio/ microwave/ infrared/ ultraviolet/ x-ray/ gamma ray) just some in-between purple color we can’t see?
In: 3
Because light and color are two separate things.
Light generally refers to the range of electromagnetic radiation that triggers the photo receptors in the back of your eye. Radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet, these are all the same EMR but we categorize them onto a scale for their relevance to humans.
https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/02/18/2817543.htm
Color is how your brain interprets those signals and it can get a bit messy. Color doesn’t exist outside of your brain and the color wheel (which is actually more a floppy triangle) reflects how humans perceive color, not the actual EMR values. Captain Disillusion has a great video on this.
Latest Answers