2007-12-07 10:57:05 · 6 answers · asked by Tiffany B 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
(PhD physicist responds) The eye perceives six colors in the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. (some people include the violet color of Indigo as a separate color.) But there are also colors in the infrared and ultraviolet present as well. The rainbow is caused by diffuse refraction of sunlight in water droplets. The source of the light is the sun's photosphere. While each atom in the photosphere may emit light at one quantum frequency, the sun is so hot that doppler shifting of the light causes the lines to "fuzz out" so that you see essentially a continuous spectrum of light. The strictly correct answer, would then be, "an infinite number"
2007-12-07 11:10:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The # of colors we perceive is based on how many different color receptors we have in our eyes. Most of us have 3, and we tend to divide the colors up into 6 (the 3 we perceive, and the half-way points in between those 3 that are mixtures). Color blind people with the most common RG blindness only see 4 or so, this is what our dogs and cats see as well (contrary to popular belief, most mammals are RG color blind, not completely color blind).
We can perceive more colors than that if we want to by slicing it up more carefully - between red and orange there's a red-orange color that can be differentiated, etc. - but we usually stick with roughly 6 as the answer.
2007-12-07 11:41:08 · answer #2 · answered by VirtualSound 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The rainbow has six color,as the the word equal Shalom,thus given five color equal Peace when translate in english! The Bible Gen 9:6
2014-06-12 14:26:38 · answer #3 · answered by Patricia M 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you are talking about visible colors, Technically, a rainbow is the reflection of sunlight off of water vapor, it reflects every wavelength between infrared and ultraviolet.
We can therefore conclude that the number of colors, though not infinite, approaches infinite.
The recognized general color groups of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet contain many many variations in between.
2007-12-07 11:16:15 · answer #4 · answered by skurka 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
8
2007-12-07 11:05:50 · answer #5 · answered by BlAzE 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
7
Mnemonic - Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
(Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet)
2007-12-07 11:04:13 · answer #6 · answered by franja 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
7
r
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y
g
b
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2007-12-07 11:21:37 · answer #7 · answered by rosie recipe 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
7, R. O. Y. G. B. I.V.
2007-12-07 11:06:08 · answer #8 · answered by The Avenging Disco Godfather 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋