The visible spectrum refers to the range of colours the human eye can perceive, typically seen when light is refracted through a prism, water droplets, or similar mediums. It spans wavelengths from approximately 380 nm (violet) to 700 nm (red), with each wavelength corresponding to a specific colour, from violet through blue, green, yellow, and red.
- The visible spectrum consists of a continuous distribution of colours, formed by a range of wavelengths rather than distinct, separate bands. While we commonly refer to colours like red, green, and violet, the transitions between them are gradual, with no sharp boundaries.
- A diagram of the visible spectrum typically displays this continuous range as a linear scale, arranged by wavelength, with red at the longer wavelength end (around 700 nm) and violet at the shorter wavelength end (around 380 nm). This kind of diagram allows us to see the full gradation of colours the human eye can perceive.
- The visible spectrum is naturally produced when light is refracted through a prism, raindrops, or similar mediums, splitting the light into its component wavelengths. This process of separating light is known as dispersion. The resulting diagram, often called a spectrum, visually represents the distribution of spectral colours as a smooth, elongated band from red to violet, enabling us to observe the gradual transitions between colours.
- Although the spectrum contains an infinite number of colours due to its continuous nature, most diagrams illustrate a limited number of distinguishable colours between red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.