Continuous Colour from Red to Violet

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This diagram shows six electromagnetic waves. Each wave corresponds with a colour within the visible spectrum that an observer might recognise.

Remember that:

  • Electromagnetic waves, which are a form of electromagnetic radiation, propagating from a light source, travel through space and encounter different materials.
  • Colour is not a property of electromagnetic radiation, but an aspect of visual perception.
  • A human observer can distinguish between colours corresponding with many thousands of wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum. These colours are often called spectral colours.
  • The largest part of the electromagnetic spectrum is outside the wavelengths of visible light and so invisible to a human observer.
  • Beyond red are infrared, microwaves and radio waves for example. Some radio waves have a wavelength longer than a kilometre (1000 metres).
  • Beyond violet are ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays for example. Some gamma rays have a wavelength of one billionth part of a metre.
  • There are no properties of electromagnetic radiation that distinguish visible light from other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • Objects appear to be different colours to an observer depending on the wavelengths, frequencies and amplitude of visible light at the moment it strikes the retina at the back of the eye.
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Description

Continuous Colour from Red to Violet

TRY SOME QUICK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO GET STARTED
What is meant by the wavelength of a wave?
The wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is a measurement of the length of a single oscillation of the wave.
What is the visible spectrum?
The visible spectrum is the small part of the electromagnetic spectrum our eyes are tuned to.
Is the visible spectrum composed of a continuous range of colours from red to violet?
Yes! The visible spectrum is composed of wavelengths between 390 to 700 nanometers and each wavelength is associated with a different colour.
What is the relationship between wavelength and colour?
The relationship between wavelength and colour is that wavelength is a property of electromagnetic waves whilst human observers see different wavelengths as colours.
Name two colours with the shortest wavelengths?
Blue and violet are two of the colours in the visible spectrum with the shortest wavelengths.

About the diagram

About the diagram
  • This diagram is about the visible spectrum and which wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation correspond with the different colours we see in the world.
  • It shows that a human observer can distinguish between colours corresponding with thousands of wavelengths of visible light.
  • The visible spectrum (a rainbow for example) can be thought of as six bands of colour or as being made up of light rays of different wavelengths, each distinguished by its measurement in nanometres.
  • The visible spectrum is made up of an infinite gradation of wavelengths and colours. The total number of colours in the world is limited only by the sensitivity of human vision and the size of the units of measurement used to calculate wavelength.
  • The list down the left of the diagram represents the visible spectrum as bands of wavelengths and bands of colour.
  • The scale along the bottom marks out the visible spectrum in nanometres with the corresponding colours shown above.
Remember that:
  • Objects appear to be different colours to an observer depending on their wavelength.
  • The name given to light that contains all wavelengths of the visible spectrum is white light.
  • When all wavelengths contained in white light reflect off a neutral coloured surface then the object appears white to an observer.
  • When a narrow band of wavelengths reflect off a neutral coloured surface then the object appears coloured to an observer.
  • The colour an observer sees depends on the wavelengths of visible light emitted by a light source and on which of those wavelengths are reflected off an object.
  • Although a human observer can distinguish between many thousands of wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum our brains often produce the impression of bands of colour.

Some key terms

White light

White light is the name given to visible light that contains all wavelengths of the visible spectrum at equal intensities.

  • As light travels through a vacuum or a medium it is described as white light if it contains all the wavelengths of visible light.
  • As light travels through the air it is invisible to our eyes.
  • When we look around we see through the air because it is very transparent and light passes through it.
  • The term white light doesn’t mean light is white as it travels through the air.
  • One situation in which light becomes visible is when it reflects off the surface of an object.
  • When white light strikes a neutral coloured object and all wavelengths are reflected then it appears white to an observer.
Rainbow colours

Rainbow colours are the bands of colour seen in rainbows and in other situations where visible light separates into its component wavelengths and the spectral colours corresponding with each wavelength become visible to the human eye.

  • The rainbow colours (ROYGBV) in order of wavelength are red (longest wavelength), orange, yellow, green, blue and violet (shortest wavelength).
  • The human eye, and so human perception, is tuned to the visible spectrum and so to spectral colours between red and violet. It is the sensitivity of the eye to this small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that results in the perception of colour.
  • Defining rainbow colours is a question more closely related to the relationship between perception and language than to anything to do with physics or scientific accuracy.
  • Even the commonplace colours associated with the rainbow defy easy definition. They are concepts we generally agree on, but are not strictly defined by anything in the nature of light itself.
  • Whilst the visible spectrum and spectral colour are both determined by wavelength and frequency it is our eyes and brains that interpret these and create our perceptions after a lot of processing.
Electromagnetic spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum includes electromagnetic waves with all possible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, ranging from low energy radio waves through visible light to high energy gamma rays.

  • There are no precisely defined boundaries between the bands of electromagnetic radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • The electromagnetic spectrum includes, in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays.
  • Visible light is only a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Visible spectrum

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is called the visible spectrum.

  • The visible spectrum is the range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that correspond with all the different colours we see in the world.
  • As light travels through the air it is invisible to our eyes.
  • Human beings don’t see wavelengths of light, but they do see the spectral colours that correspond with each wavelength and colours produced when different wavelengths are combined.
  • The visible spectrum includes all the spectral colours between red and violet and each is produced by a single wavelength.
  • The visible spectrum is often divided into named colours, though any division of this kind is somewhat arbitrary.
  • Traditional colours referred to in English include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Wavelength

Wavelength is a measurement from any point on the path of a wave to the same point on its next oscillation. The measurement is made parallel to the centre-line of the wave.

  • The wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is measured in metres.
  • Each type of electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, visible light and gamma waves,  forms a band of wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is composed of the range of wavelengths that correspond with all the different colours we see in the world.
  • Human beings don’t see wavelengths of visible light, but they do see the spectral colours that correspond with each wavelength and the other colours produced when different wavelengths are combined.
  • The wavelength of visible light is measured in nanometres. There are 1,000,000,000 nanometres to a metre.
Nanometre

A nanometre is a unit of measurement of the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.

  • Nanometres are particularly useful when specifying the wavelength of electromagnetic waves in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • The visible spectrum ranges from around 400 to 700 nm.
ROYGBV

ROYGBV is an acronym for the sequence of hues (colours) commonly described as making up a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

  • A rainbow spans the continuous range of spectral colours that make up the visible spectrum.
  • The human eye is tuned to the visible spectrum and so to spectral colours between red and violet.
  • ROYGBV are colours associated with a range of wavelengths rather than with unique values.
  • The visible spectrum is the small band of wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum that corresponds with all the different colours we see in the world.
  • The fact that we see the distinct bands of colour in a rainbow is an artefact of human colour vision.

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