( Prime - page 21 of 32 )

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PRIME:  TOWARDS A COLOUR THEORY, continued

  

      Thomas Young first reconstructed (synthesised) white light, when projecting beams of the colours of the spectrum onto a screen, first postulated by Newton.   By experimenting with his coloured lamps Young showed by a process of elimination, that six colours of the spectrum could be reduced to just three: red, green and dark blue.   He recorded in his notes:   "Three beams of light, one dark blue, one intense red, and another intense green, when superimposed on one another, give a clear, brilliant white light; in other words, they reconstruct light itself."

        As a result of the experiment, Young was able to identify that there were primary and secondary colours of the spectrum. After modifications made by Helmholtz, it was generally held that, "the primary colours of light are the secondary colours of pigment, and the primary colours of pigment are the secondary colours of light".   In full daylight, all objects receive the three primary colours of light:   redgreen  and large amounts of dark blue.   Some objects reflect more of the light they receive, while others tend to absorb it;  thus tonal differences seen by the eye.   Most objects absorb part of the light, and reflect the rest, or reflect the rest in different directions.   Look at the changing colour of the foil animation and you will see each of the colours identified:  

     

  Textured Foil.   For highest resolution
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