i want speciefic answer
2007-01-27 16:12:53 · 9 answers · asked by Bembem T 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The division is arbitrary. The rainbow is a continuum of different colors, which only look different to us anyway because our eyes evolved to distinguish them. We arbitrarily name certain ranges of colors, but it is up to us. Could be five or nine colors if we felt like it. Visit a paint store and you'll see.
2007-01-27 16:17:31 · answer #1 · answered by hadrian2 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wavelengths of light produce different colors when separated by a prism. Wepicked the seven most clearly defined regions to be the colors of the rainbow
2007-01-27 16:20:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rainbow is not formed of 7 colors. There is a continuous change in color from side to side of the rainbow. Some films have limited numbers of colors that they can record. In a like fashion our eye only has three different colors perceiving components. We are able to "see" the wide range of colors only by combining the inputs of these three relatively narrow ranges of colors.
2007-01-27 16:24:01 · answer #3 · answered by anonimous 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may also be important to know that the electromagnetic spectrum stretches way way beyond what we can see. In both high wavelength(ultraviolet) to low wavelength(Infrared). Wave length can be described as how high the wave crests over what distance. If a wave rises 3 nanometers but travels 100 miles in distance as it does it before dropping back down then it has a low wavelength. Its stretched out. High wavelength would be the opposite. Could be same wave rise but it only travels a foot before completing one wave. Low wavelengths are considered low energy and high wavelength are high energy.
I know this has nothing really to do with there being 7 colors but I thought it might be relevant as background, peripheral knowledge.
2007-01-27 18:19:13 · answer #4 · answered by mazaker2000 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rainbow is continuous, what we perceive as color is out retinal neurons firing. If our eyes were slightly different maybe we could see untra-violet, or infra-red too. We perceive certain photons of certain energy as being the same color ... the energy of the photons is really discrete in a tight band if you look at an emission spectrum. It is just the way we interpret light.
2007-01-27 16:35:09 · answer #5 · answered by themountainviewguy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually white light coming from the sun (which is responsible for the rainbow) consists of all possible wavelengths in the visible range. Each wavelength has a colour slightly different from its neighbouring wavelength. But only grossly, we divide them into certain number(7) of ranges each of which is associated to a certain colour corresponding to the mean wavelength of the range for that colour.
2007-01-27 16:30:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not really 7 colors. It's an infinitite number of different wave lengths of light. Our eyes and brains "see" those wavelengths as about 7 colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
2007-01-27 16:22:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually it is composed of all colors available in white light.
2007-01-27 16:26:35 · answer #8 · answered by MT C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because the color spectrum when light reflects through it. think ROY G BIV red orange yellow green blue indigo violet
2007-01-27 16:21:15 · answer #9 · answered by woah tash 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋