Colour

•Describe how colours of light can be added,

subtracted, absorbed and reflected.
•Explain how filters work.
 Primary colours
• What are the three primary colours of
light? Any idea?
Primary colours of light are
different from primary
colours of paints.

Why is mixing
of paint colors
different from
mixing light col
ors?
• With just 3 primary colours of light, all
colours of light can be made.
• The three primary colours of light are:
red, green, and blue
• If you mix any two colours, you get
secondary colour.
• If you mix all the three primary colours
of light, white light is formed.
• TV, Mobile, Ipad and computer
monitors combine primary colours of
light to produce a range of colours that
we see.
The primary colours of art are red, yellow and blue. They cannot
be made by mixing other colours together. The primary colours sit
equal distances apart on the colour wheel.
 Colour
Object
Filter

Now look at the following colours through a filter…

 Filters let certain colours of light pass through, but absorb all
other colours

 Using the different filters look at the colours on the board /

around the room and try and work out what the filter is doing –
i.e. what is a blue filter doing? What about a red filter etc…
 Colours

A red filter absorbs all

colours…
…apart from red light

A blue filter absorbs

all colours…
…apart from blue light

A green filter absorbs

all colours...
…apart from green light
 Colours

A magenta filter
absorbs all colours…
…apart from red and blue light

A cyan filter absorbs

all colours…
…apart from green and blue light

A yellow filter absorbs

all colours...
…apart from red and green light
 Colour
Filter

Look at the following colours – why do we seem them?

Coloured objects reflect some colours and absorb others

Red absorbs all colours, except red which it reflects

Green absorbs all colours, except green which it reflects
Blue absorbs all colours, except blue which it reflects
Black absorbs all light, reflecting none…
White reflects all light, absorbing none…
 Colour
How do we see different colours?

Why does a red dress look red?

Why does a green apple look green?

• Colours are made by mixing other colours of light

• Coloured objects reflect some colours and absorb others

 Absorbing & Reflecting
• Coloured objects reflect some colours and absorb others

For example

• A red dress absorbs all colours except red, which it reflects

• A green apple absorbs all colours except green, which it reflects

What about black and white?

• Objects appear white if they can reflect all the colours of the
spectrum

• Objects appear black if they absorb all the colours of the spectrum
 Task
• Your task is to draw a ray diagram of how we see different
colours, such as the balls on a snooker table

• Draw a ray diagram showing how we see a red ball and green ball

• Then show how we see a magenta ball

• Finally show how we see a white ball and black ball (think about
this)!
Red
Colours
Green

Magenta
Colours
White

No light is absorbed (all reflected)

Black

All light is absorbed (none reflected)

 Light

• Filters can make objects appear different colours than they

actually are

• This is because they only let a certain type of light through (e.g.
red filter only lets red light through)

• Looking through a red filter can therefore be described as

looking at something in red light

Red light shines

on the ball

The red ball reflects the

red light, appearing red
 Red Ball

• What does a red ball appear like in different light, e.g. in green,
blue and magenta light?

In green light

Green light
shines on the
ball
The red ball absorbs the
green light, so no light is
reflected, and the ball
appears black
 Red Ball

• What does a red ball appear like in different light, e.g. in green,
blue and magenta light?

In blue light

Blue light shines

on the ball

The red ball absorbs the

blue light, so no light is
reflected, and the ball
appears black
 Red Ball

• What does a red ball appear like in different light, e.g. in green,
blue and magenta light?

In magenta light (mix of red and blue)

Magenta light
shines on the
ball
The red ball absorbs the
blue light and reflects the
red light, appearing red
If white light is shining on a shirt,
then red, green and blue light is
shining on the shirt. If the shirt
absorbs blue light, then only red
and green light will be reflected
from the shirt. So while red, green
and blue light shine upon the shirt,
only red and green light will reflect
from it. Red and green light
striking your eye always gives the
appearance of yellow; for this
reason, the shirt will appear
yellow.
Now suppose that cyan light is shining on the same shirt
- a shirt made of a material that is capable of absorbing
blue light. What appearance will such a shirt have if
illuminated with cyan light and how can we account for
its appearance? To answer this question, the process of
color subtraction will be applied once more. In this
situation, we begin with only blue and green primary
colors of light (recall that cyan light consists of blue and
green light). From this mixture, we must subtract blue
light. After the subtractive process, only green light
remains. Thus, the shirt will appear green in the
presence of cyan light. Observe the representation of
this by the diagram at the right and the equation below.

From these two examples, we can

conclude that a shirt that looks yellow
when white light shines upon it will look
green when cyan light shines upon it.
What colors are absorbed by a green
leaf?

A green leaf absorbs all colours of

light except green colour.