U n d e r s t a n d i n g
C o l or

Color and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic radiation is characterized by a wavelength (l) and a frequency (f) which are related by the speed of light c = lf.

Visible light is electromagnetic radiation whose frequency (wavelength) is in the narrow range from 4.3 x 10¹⁴ hertz (700 nm) to 7.5 x 10¹⁴ hertz (400nm). One nanometer (nm) is equal to 10^-9 meters.

Visible spectrum: Different colors correspond to different wavelengths:

For more see: color

Most light we observe in nature is made up of a mixture of frequencies/wavelengths at differing energies. Sun and light bulbs contain all frequencies and so appear white. The distribution of frequencies can be described by spectral density graph (wavelength vs energy) :

[top]

[Understanding Color]

[Home Page]