You’ve got two towels made from the same material, except one is red and the other is blue. What, at the smallest possible level, is happening on the towels that makes us see them as different colors?

Question

You’ve got two towels made from the same material, except one is red and the other is blue. What, at the smallest possible level, is happening on the towels that makes us see them as different colors?

In: 66

Answer 1

At the smallest possible level?

Dye molecules in the towel absorb photons from the sun, gaining energy and exciting their electrons. When the electrons stop being excited, they will release another photon to shed the energy Depending on the dye molecule, that photon will be a specific wavelength and colour.