Why are there colours?

Question

Asked by my 4 year old nephew!

Answer 1

Ok, visible white light is comprised of all the colors of the visible elctromagnetic spectrum(red, oragnge, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). When white light is refracted by a prism or water droplets you can see the colors of the spectrum as a rainbow. when white uv light strikes a surface some parts of the spectrum are reflected back and some are absorbed. The portion that is absorbed determines the color, for example if all of the spectrum is reflected back and only the red portion is absorbed the object will appear red. If the entire spectrum is reflected back the object will be white. Black occurs when the entire uv spectrum is absorbed, which is also why black surfaces get so hot on sunny days. Hope this helps you:)

Answer 2

As light hits objects, the surface in any given spot only reflects one wavelength of light back. Our eyes have evolved to pick up a certain range of wavelengths we register as visible light (the colours of the rainbow). Our eyes can distinguish an amazing number of subtle differences in such frequencies giving us the ability to see millions of shades of the basic colours. In the world of physics though, colours are just another section on the much larger spectrum of light energy so the colours would still be there whether we walked the earth or not.

Answer 3

Quantum physics just start being able to give realistic answers to that.

In simple terms it is that some objects will absorb different wave lengths due to their nuclear shape. The colour we see is the result of which wave lengths are not absorbed, so reflected for us to see.

A simple example is black tissue. As many know, a black shirt will get hotter because it absorbs all wave Lengths. So instead of seeing the energy reflected as a colour, nothing is reflected and the light energy is converted in heat.

Answer 4

Wow, so a 4 year old can understand? It's just how humans see light coming from the sun. Being able to see different kinds of light in different colors makes it easier to live on earth. Like the previous guy said, we can tell when fruit is ripe, we can tell who each other is more easily, etc...

Some animals don't see colors, some see colors that we can't see. Color for us is strictly how humans make sense of what they are seeing.

Answer 5

If not you'd be eating unripe fruit and vegetables, most change colour as they ripen, monkeys have very keen colour sense so that they can differentiate between young leaves (pale green and poisonous) and old leaves (dark green and edible) also the worlds a nicer place with colour, when I was young colour hadn't been invented and grey grass and black trees are no fun.

Answer 6

the color is simply a property of the matter or a crysta.this much explanation is i think enough for thet little newton who put that qerry.this is a to the point explanation.

later part is for u .

this is a to the point explanation.but if we look deep in the physics of the optics then we will be able tio know that wat are colors and why do we see them?

first of all we should know what actually colours are? and how and why do we see different colors?

now! color refers to the physical property of any matter.and we simpily see colors inorder to recognize things.for example, red color refers to an apple as well as its the color of blood too.and there are many more common examples like that.

as we all know that all the lights/colors are evolved from a white color....remember the experiment with glass prism....
as white lite passes the prism it is seperated in 7 different colors due to the phenomena of scattering....its pure physics...

Answer 7

Tell your nephew that red is the colour my wifes face goes just before she is going to have an angry blow up, that signals that it is time for me to leave the room, colours are useful !

Answer 8

Sometimes chemicals make colours like with stones and minerals.
And something to do with the light falling and reflecting off things or through things.
And i can't explain it better because it is one of those really complicated things that you can learn when you grow up.
But be ready for 'what is reflection?' and chemicals are usefull things that you have to be very carefull with.

Answer 9

Because there is light.

Tell him that we actually see things inverted and upside down before the brain process them and corrects it, That'll really freak him out!


Really good Moz... Explaining science to a 4 year old never really works out very well... Even when you involve allah.

Answer 10

colous? why? allah has created the colors.......and u will not know why,,,,,,but u can be sure that colors are the most beautiful things.

how? that is the scientific decription:

We have what is called electromagnetic waves.....they are characterized by a known frequencies and wavelengths. Allah has made your eye able to catch the electromagnetic photons at a known range of frequency and wavelength. for example, X-Ray is like the light, they are both electromagnetic waves.. but x-ray has higher frequency......so we can not see it.... the light itself, consist of a rab\nge of frequencies, the lowest is the red colour and the colour with highest VISIBlE frequency is the violet.