An LED is a type of electroluminescent light source that emits light when current flows through a semiconductor material.
- An LED typically emits light of a single colour that is composed of a narrow range of wavelengths.
- Multicoloured LEDs typically have three diodes that emit red, green, and blue light.
- By adjusting the relative brightness of the primary colours, a multicoloured LED can create a vast array of colours.
- By combining the three primary colours of red, green, and blue light in equal proportions multicoloured LEDs can produce white light.
- Typical peak wavelengths for multicoloured LEDs might be red = 625 nanometres, green = 500 nm, blue = 440 nm.
- LED light sources are commonly used to demonstrate the effects of projecting additive primary colours onto a dark surface.
Related diagrams
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