Thursday 15 May 2008

colour logic..

How is white colour formed in actual sense of objects/materials/things bearing the colour 'white' ?
i guess its inherent to nature of material. for eg white paint may be formed from lime or chalk
white cloth formed from white yarn and yarn formed from cotton, which is inherently white etc..
Can white colour be made...?
Anyone can add views to this ...

[according to colour theory white colour is the mixture or blending of all colours , but if we blend colours it turns out to be black . and black is understood to be as absence of all colours...]

17 comments:

Hitesh said...

Hi Chinmai,

I guess objects/materials exhibiting a white colour imply that they reflect/refract all the wavelengths, in the spectrum of visible light, equally. A material/object is said to exhibit certain colour since it reflects that particular wavelength of visible light and rest of the wavelenghts are absorbed by it.

chinmai said...

@hitesh: thanks for dropping by and sharing ur views ..yeah i do understand white colour reflecting all wavelengths.. but the que was how can v make a white colour ?

Hitesh said...

I found this in a similar blog. Hope this will throw some white light on your question. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-05/959170563.Ch.r.html
Too technical it might seem, but fascinated me, hence posted it.

Anonymous said...

>>...according to colour theory white colour is the mixture or blending of all colours...

actually that color theory is for light and not paints. there is a difference and i think you are referring to how to make white using paints. if you mix red, blue and green 'light', then you will get white (sunlight for example is pure white in color because its made of dominant components of visible light spectrum ie. RGB). Even TV or computer screen uses the primary RGB combination to create millions of color including white.

When it comes to 'paints', white can't be made using combo of RGB or rather RBY (primary colors). I had tried making white colour (as a kid) by mixing red, green and blue paints but that, as you said, will give blackish. Using paints, any color can be obtained using 5 colors - RYB and black and white.

The question then is how to make white paint using the color palette. i think it can't be made, just like we can't make red, blue and yellow paints. People make it using chemicals in factories and we buy it :-)

JD said...

I do not have answer as such. But I have somethings related to say. Have blue/pink/any other coloured shop. It will always give white foam. Why??

JD said...

One more thing (copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory)
The most important problem has been a confusion between the behavior of light mixtures, called additive color, and the behavior of paint or ink (or dye or pigment) mixtures, called subtractive color. This problem arises because the absorption of light by material substances follows different rules from the perception of light by the eye.

An additive color model involves light emitted directly from a source or illuminant of some sort. The additive reproduction process usually uses red, green and blue light to produce the other colors.

A subtractive color model explains the mixing of paints, dyes, inks, and natural colorants to create a range of colors, where each such color is caused by the mixture absorbing some wavelengths of light and reflecting others.

chinmai said...

@hitesh : thanks for that link.. btw are u by any chance hitesh gaikwad :)
@mitVa : thanks for ur views as well. i guess white, red, blue, green and yellow cud not be made.. (leaving apart of additive and substractive colour theories ) :)
@jaydip : thanks for ur view . u add a perspective ( white bubbles of coloured soaps :) ) nice observation..

Kanan said...

Hmmmm

*puts thinking cap on*

I think you let the black sit in sun and eventually hope that it will fade into white. ;)

chinmai said...

@kanan: hehe that was funny

Hitesh said...

Yup I am

chinmai said...

sure,nice seeing u here.. welcome to this page...

Stupidosaur said...

Since you taught me some correct hindi, thought I would teach you some science and return the favour. But seems ppl already explained.

I actuallay wrote the explanation, but didn't post it, just in case my first comment becomes something you always read when counting sheep fails ;-)

Stupidosaur said...

In case you didn't understand the complex explanations of additive and subtractive thingies given by people, I can explain it in very simple clear manner.
From that you will also be able to understand the 'soap' opera of light.

JD said...

"additive and subtractive things" , "soap' opera" .. Ummmmmm.. seems like I have came across these words somewhere .. :->

chinmai said...

stupidosaur: funny..if u cud explain "just in case my first comment becomes something you always read when counting sheep fails ;-)" leaving apart additive and subtractive theories..

Stupidosaur said...

That was my first comment.

I could've explained the colours of light thingie to you.
There is a very good chance that it would have been enLIGHTening as well as entertaining.
But what if it turned out to be very boring and dull?

Then this scenario would enact itself:

Chinmai is trying to nod off. Can't. She tries the tried and tested and never succeeded technique of counting sheep to fall alseep. Sleep still eludes.

Just then Chinmai remembers...Aah let me read that Stupid comment.ZZZZ............
Next morning she wakes up to a beautiful screensaver hiding that ugly comment.

So if you are clear with the counting sheep and comment connection now, with your generous permission may I explain the light funda which the first comment was supposed to be about?

chinmai said...

@stupidosaur : funny it was..
BTW are u any distant relative of dino-saur ... Nah ... sheep-o-saur....Nah... munki-saur..yeah .. wat ;)
ye blog-munch hai.. ppl can do their bak bak..oops.. i mean explainationZZZZZ..

other ppl ve already gone ZZZZ..
by the time i finish reading it .. i will go ZZZZ... but u dont go ZZZZZZ while writing ;)
( just joking) u can explain ur point of view anyhow...:)