Light and Colour

Work in progress. This note is still being written and incomplete.

1 min read Last updated Sun Jul 26 2026 05:09:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, according to modern physics.

  • Shares wave properties with X-rays, microwaves and radio waves, including dispersion
  • Visible light spans wavelengths from 400 nm to 700 nm
  • Quantum physics attributes particle properties to light. Refraction is better explained by this theory.

Colour

Colour is a construct in the brain. It doesn’t correspond to a physical phenomenon.

  • Mixing light waves of different wavelengths produces the perception of different colours
  • A few narrow wavelength bands are perceived as distinct colours, called primary colours
  • Primary colours are orthogonal to each other
  • Mixing primary colours produces the secondary colours we perceive
  • Red, green and blue are the most common primary colours, but not the only ones
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