Topics Color

Question I have always thought that with the primary colors and black and white, you can create any color that we see. This may sound dumb, but then how do you make neon colors? What else can you add other than the previously mentioned colors (or lack of)?

Accepted:
June 9, 2007

Comments

Neon red is simply red light emittedfrom an enclosed clear transparent vacuum tube containing the element neon, towhich an electrical current is applied. Neon actually emits a red-orange color.Other colors can be obtained by introducing other gases in the enclosure andalso by changing the color of the tube. What you may be asking about is thedistinctive glow emitted from a neon tube. The red of a neon tubeappears different from the red of a painted surface, for example. Differentmaterials emit or reflect red light in different ways, and our visual system issensitive to many of those differences.

Do you think that colours emitted by neon gas have a particular neon quality? I'm not sure. But your question could very well be asked of the metallic colours, such as silver and gold. They are not "made" by any combination of primaries, so how are they made?

Question I have always thought that with the primary colors and black and white, you can create any color that we see. This may sound dumb, but then how do you make neon colors? What else can you add other than the previously mentioned colors (or lack of)? Accepted:June 9, 2007

Question I have always thought that with the primary colors and black and white, you can create any color that we see. This may sound dumb, but then how do you make neon colors? What else can you add other than the previously mentioned colors (or lack of)?

Accepted:
June 9, 2007