Re:Color names and their wave lengths and frequencies
by hilbert42 on Saturday June 10, 2017 @04:05PM
(#14528951)
This chart is misleading in that it intersperses both true spectral colors (red, yellow, blue etc. that actually possess unique wavelengths) with extra-spectral colors such as magenta, cyan, etc. which, per se, DO NOT have unique wavelengths/frequencies—but which this diagram incorrectly assigns to them.
Non-spectral/extra-spectral colors (magenta etc.) do not exist as true colors on the visible spectrum as such, rather they are 'perceptual' in that they are created in our minds by mixtures of other colors (e.g.: magenta being a mixture of red+blue).
A better understanding of how extra-spectral colors fit into the overall color schema and the way we perceive color can be gained from the 'CIE 1931 color space' (Chromaticity diagram).
Non-spectral/extra-spectral colors (magenta etc.) do not exist as true colors on the visible spectrum as such, rather they are 'perceptual' in that they are created in our minds by mixtures of other colors (e.g.: magenta being a mixture of red+blue).
Why extra-spectral colors exist is a rather complex matter and stems from the very specific way we humans perceive colour (Young-Helmholtz tri-color perception theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young%E2%80%93Helmholtz_theory)
A better understanding of how extra-spectral colors fit into the overall color schema and the way we perceive color can be gained from the 'CIE 1931 color space' (Chromaticity diagram).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIE_1931_color_space.