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Now And For All

Martin, Are you just trying to find the stupidity level of the average TBF poster?

There are two different things being discussed: True light and how it is difracted and perceived; and visual color, which is different for every person.

When true light is difracted it become a rainbow. It starts as white light and results in the colors of the visual spectrum--black is not among them.

Perceived visual color does include dark "colors" like black and ochre and navy blue, which are not part of the prismic spectrum. Neither are brown, gray, or any "color" that takes in solid pigment to make it's visual effect.

Obviously, anyone who has tried oil painting at any level would know the effects of light upon solid and also know its limitations.
 
From what I recall about physics:

Visible light is energy that falls in a very small wavelength range. Longer wavelengths give infrared and radio waves, shorter wavelengths would give ultra violet and xrays.

When light waves hit the surface of an object, light can be absorbed or reflected. The light within the visible spectrum that is reflected determines the colour that we see. Hence if white light is shone onto the surface of a blue object then all blue light (energy in the wavelength range that we perceive as blue) will be reflected and the other energy (and hence colours) will be absorbed.

So colour is perception of energy.

As has already been said, white is perceived when all visible light waves are reflected from a surface. Black is perceived when all nothing is reflected, that is that all visible light is absorbed by the object.

Now when we describe an object, we don't talk about what light is reflected, we talk about what colour we see. Imagine if you put a blue car under a red light. Red light is shone on the surface of the object. There is no blue wavelength to reflect and the red light would be absorbed, hence the car would appear to be black. Now take a white car and shine it under the red light. The car will reflect all light as usual, however the only light shone on it is red, hence the car will appear to be red.

So a white object is only white because we usually see it under white light. A black object on the other hand will always be black.

So in answer to your question, Martin, I would define black and white as colours. Yes, light is absorbed and reflected, but colour is what we perceive.

QED (I think)
 
Apparantly in the scientific world, black and white are not actually classed as colours. But to me, to look at they are definatly colours. Not very helpful I know. Just putting my two pence worth in! :p
 
I bet there are all kinds of scientific explanations as to why black and white are, in fact, not colours, but I can't wrap my brain around it.

A white car has a colour, namely white.

Cheers
 
Yes, it's terrible. 26,000 jobs?! :(

I'm still doing my penance with my temperamental J-reg Rover Metro! :)
 
Martin said:
I've had two Mini's, which was, once, owned by Rover - does that count?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Yep. You've done your bit :)

I had a 1988 Austin Metro in Navy Blue. It had tweed seats. My first car. Loved it
 
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