Red looks white?

Question

I think I've heard it somewhere but I am not sure if it is true. Does red color look white through a red prism? Maybe it applied only to a specific shade of red; I don't know. Does red ever look white?

toorealguy: your answer sounds pretty much like what I heard. I would like to test it but.... I only have a digital camera, and I am not sure if it has any filter options. I will look through the menu though. Have you actually tried it? Thanks.

Answer 1

There is such a thing as the Purkinje effect. Maybe that is what you mean. You can see it on wikipedia. Or maybe you mean that white light is refracted through a prism into the spectrum? But thats all colours from infra red through to ultra violet - not just red.

Answer 2

ANY color can look white, when viewed through a filter of the same color.

So yes, red can look white, when looking through a red prism.

The easiest way to see this is to take two cameras, load one with color film and the other with black-and-white film. Put a red filter on the camera with black-and-white film.

Next, go to a location that has a lot of colors in it, like a carnival, or similar location...then shoot the same photo using both cameras. Probably need to do this one camera at a time....the sequence is not important, just point each camera at the same stuff so both pictures will look almost the same.

Once you process the photos, you will see that the areas colored red in the colored pictures are indeed colored white in the black and white photos.



Filters act on colored light to let some colors through and other colors not.

Answer 3

A red lens allows almost all read light to pass through and almost noi other colors. If you look at a green light through a red lens you see only black ( I don't recommend red lenses for diving) If you look through a blue lens at a red light you see only black (again not recommended for driving)

So through a red lens or prism you see only red light. Most light sources are a combination of colors so you would still see the light source but only the red light coming from it.

Answer 4

Red prisms absorb all colors but red, so passing red light through a red prism won't affect the red light.

Answer 5

rainbow colours look white when you spin them
a prism separate white colours into rainbow colours which red is one of them depending on the refractive index of the prism can filter some colours

Answer 6

i guess if you could not see then red could be white ! who ever told you that is nuts ! lol !

Answer 7

red looks white if you bleach the color red.....

Answer 8

uh no