is black and white colours ?

Answer 1

Colors are formed by the combination of different frequencies of light striking the retina of your eye. When all of the frequencies of visible light strike the retina at the same time, we interpret that as white light. If none of the frequencies are there, we interpret that as black.
Now, there are two ways for those frequencies to reach our eyes. First there is projected light. There are 3 primary colors of projected light which are red, blue and green. When all three of these colors are projected at the same time at the same intensity, you have white light. The absence of all projected light is, of course, black.
The second way of receiving light is by reflection. The three primary colors of reflected light are red, blue and yellow. Pigments in paint absorb light at different frequencies, reflecting only what is not absorbed. A paint that reflects all light at the same level will be seen as white. When you see red paint, you are really seeing the absence of yellow and blue. So a paint that has pigment to absorb all the different frequencies is perceived as black.

Answer 2

No - color is the visible light spectrum produced by photons.

Black appears when all the visible photonic waves are absorbed by the object - so it is the abscence of color.

White appears when all visible photonic waves are reflected by the object - so it is all visible colors.

This is looking at color from the correct perspective of photonic light. Some people use pigments to represent colors. Perfect pigments don't exist since they would need to have a harmony that is sub-atomic, since matter forms using atoms then the atomic color shows up in pigments.

For example gold has a specific color not generated by visible light but only through that perticular atom - the gold atom.

Pigments are made up of atoms and not photons so they can be mixed to achieve colors. However you cannot mix a white or black - they must simply be. The closest pigment substance man has to visible white light is Titanium - That's why you see Titanium White in art paints. For black it is not as easy and there are many blacks usually using some carbon base for blackness.

With that said these "colors" only appear to our eyes when visible light is reflected off it (since our eyes are photon receptors). So the debate if pigments are real colors goes on. I personally think that since the definition of optical color involves photonic light that pigments are not true colors but have atomic characteristics that reflect or bend light in a perticular fashion.

If our eyes had a broader photonic spectrum to "see" we may be able to answer that question but I don't know anyone that can see a broader range of colors with the human eye.

By the way only jpricefan above me is correct - The rest are way off.

Answer 3

NO, white is the mix of all colours and black has NO COLOUR at all.

Answer 4

It's....are black and white colours?

Answer 5

actually no they are not i was taught this years ago they have special names can't remember but they are not colours and there are primary colours as well i think red,blue,yellow, and all the others colours you need to mix to get them.

Answer 6

No...they are not colors. Shades are the addition of black to a color; tint is the addition of white to a color. Pretty basic stuff that others answering should know.

Answer 7

If black and white are colours, then why do we say: "Black & White T.V." and "Colour T.V.", etc.?

Answer 8

I guess, in art, they're not colors, and I think one of the reasons was that true black and white can't be found in nature? What we did in class before, was added black to each color to create diff. shades, and then added white to each color to create diff. tints of color. Black and white are not in the color wheel either.

I actually found some info. about this topic before on about.com, in painting category...

Answer 9

black is all color and white is the absence of color


How come JC&H gets 4 thumbs up for saying the same thing I did. What it comes down to are you speaking in art or light, because that is two different answers.

Answer 10

yep white and black are colours