why is Violet apart of the light spectrum when it looks identical to purple, but purple isn’t considered part of the spectrum?

Question

I never knew the difference between purple and violet, all I know is that purple, pink, magenta,etc are the “colours” we see when our red and blue cones are activated at once. But Violet is considered a part of the light spectrum? They look the same to me.

In: Physics

Answer 1

They’re similar, but they’re not the same. It’s like saying orange and red are identical. There is a meaningful difference in physics. Violet is a single specific wavelength of light at the lowest-wavelength end of visible light spectrum. Purple is just a combination of red and blue light. You cannot make violet by combining red and blue light and you cannot find purple in any single wavelength of light. You can use those words interchangeably in your daily life and it doesn’t really matter, but just know that they are different.