Absorption of colours through primary colour filters

Introduction
White light appears colourless, however it is a mixture of different colours. It is the name given to
what the human eye sees when all the colours that make up the visible light spectrum are combined.
The visible light spectrum is made up of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light,
and these colours combined make white light. These colours are visible when light passes through a
transparent substance, as the white light is broken into the separate colours in the visible light
spectrum. Several sources of white lights exist including the sun and stars, certain types of
lightbulbs, and some lamps.
There are three primary colours of red, green and blue. These constitute the colour wheel chart as
the basic three colours The primary colours of light are the main colours our eyes are able to
respond to. Each of these three primary colours of light absorbs the wavelengths of the other two.
When these three colours are mixed together with the proper intensity, white light is obtained.
The colour complementary to a primary colour is called a secondary colour The complementary or
secondary colours for red, green and blue are cyan, magenta and yellow respectively. When mixed,
these three secondary colours create black.
Objects are perceived as coloured because of the way they reflect light. This can be shown in the
example where a red surface reflects only red light. When the red surface is hit by white light, all
the other colours in the white light are absorbed by the colour red.
When light hits any surface, it may be reflected off the surface. A white surface reflects almost all
the light that falls on it. This is because it can reflect all the colours of the spectrum that comprise
white light. This is shown in a scenario where red light only is shone onto a white surface. The red
light is reflected. White surfaces can reflect all colours of light. This explains that the concepts of
colour absorption and reflection have opposite effects.
Light and colours are perceived by the human eye as light reflected from objects enters the eyes
through the pupil, which is an opening in the iris. A lens behind the iris focusses the light onto a
light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye, known as the retina. Special optical nerves carry
messages from the retina to the brain, which interprets the images thus enabling one to see.
In the retina, there are special cells called rods and cones, each of these cells serving a different
purpose. Rods are sensitive to the brightness of light but do not respond to colour. Cones, however,
are sensitive to bright light and colour, allowing one to see in colour.
Colours play a vital role in society as they are the lenses through which we perceive the world.

Many ideas have been based on colour, and some have become very stereotypical. An example of
this stereotyping is the somewhat accepted idea of 'blue for boy' and 'pink for girl'. They are also
used for more important issues as road safety traffic lights and street lights are an example.
Colours are also used in advertisements to enhance its appeal and attraction toward the audience, as
it makes it more vibrant and reinforces the meaning behind the advertisements. Colour has also
been a reason for the mistreatment and seclusion from society of coloured and dark-skinned people,
and has been the cause of major events in history such as the American Civil War and apartheid in
South Africa. Different colours also represent various things, holding certain meanings in several
cultures. Red may symbolise danger, violence, blood and war, however in Chinese culture it is the
symbol of good luck and fortune. This example depicts a great contrast between varying cultures'
perception of colours.
Aim
To test the absorption of colours using primary colour filters.
Materials

card or A4 paper; coloured paper in five different colours; red, blue and green cellophane;
scissors; glue/stapler; ruler

Method
RISKS - There were no major risks, however some minor safety issues could be identified:

Scissors While using scissors, always use the functional sharp blade as intended, and store
it away while not in use.

Light Do not look directly at light; this may impair your vision.

INVESTIGATION METHOD 1. Making the colour filters Cut out a piece of card or A4 paper measuring 5x5cm. Repeat
this twice. In these three squares, cut out a small square measuring 4x4 cm. Glue some red
cellophane onto the card/paper to act as a colour filter. Repeat this on the other frames with
the colours blue and green.
2. Prepare the coloured paper. There should be at least five different colours.
3. Place the cellophane colour filters on the coloured papers. List all the combinations of
cellophane (using the colours red, green and blue) and place these combinations on the
coloured paper as well.
4. Repeat this experiment using different coloured paper.

5. Observe the colours that you see and record these results in tabulated form.
Results
The results of the experiment show that when a certain colour of cellophane is placed onto a
coloured paper,it reflects, or allows, only light of its own colour to pass through, so what is viewed
from the colour filter is the colour that reflects its own light but absorbs all others. Therefore the
colour viewed from the filter appears dark if it is not formed by the certain colour, e.g. red filter on
blue paper. However the colour is more intense and brighter when it is placed on another colour
formed by the primary colour, e.g. red filter on orange paper.
Orange

Red

Yellow

Blue

Green

Red

Orange red

Red

Orange

Violet

Brown

Green

Olive brown

Brown

Light green

Dark sea green

Green

Blue

Dark brown

Indigo

Green

Blue

Turquoise

Red and
green

Red

Red

Red

Red

Red

Red and blue

Red

Red

Red

Red

Red

Green and
blue

Green

Green

Green

Green

Green

Red green
blue

Dark rust
brown

Dark brown

Brown

Dark brown

Olive brown

Green and
red

Green

Green

Green

Green

Green

Blue and red

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue and
green

Aqua

Aqua

Aqua

Aqua

Aqua

Green red
blue

Olive brown

Brown

Brown

Dark brown

Olive brown

Blue red
green

Brown

Dark brown

Olive brown

Brown with
blue hint

Olive brown

Discussion
Patterns were easily figured from the table of results. A common pattern that was noticed was
related to the concept of colour absorption. When a cellophane was placed on a certain colour, the
resulting colour viewed through the colour filter was either dark or vibrant, depending on the
primary colour filter and the coloured paper. An example is shown in placing a red filter on orange
paper. The result is orangey red, which is vibrant. This is possibly due to the fact that orange is
created by the primary colour red and, being related, the red filter allowed some orange light to
reflect. However in the example of placing a blue filter on orange paper, the effect is largely

different. As blue is not used to create the colour orange, instead of reflecting the light the blue filter
will absorb the orange light, and the resulting colour viewed through the colour filter is dark. It is
also interesting to note that blue and orange are complementary pigment colours.
With the results it can also be deducted that a certain colour filter would only reflect some colours
and would absorb others. The green filter would reflect colours as blue, yellow and green, as these
colours are produce green, and others are produced by green. Other colours such as red and orange,
however, are on the opposite end of the colour wheel and thus the green light absorbs these colours,
making them appear dark. This is evident as red and orange, when seen through a green filter,
appeared brown.
Another observation was that the order in which the cellophane combinations were placed greatly
affected a result. This is shown in the example where red filter and blue filter (in that order) are
placed on blue paper, and the colour produced is red. However when a blue filter and red filter are
placed on each other in that order, and placed on blue paper, the colour viewed through the filter is
blue. This is because the colour on top reflects its own light and absorbs any other light that is not
of the same colour. This is how colour filters can block out unwanted colours.
A final observation seemed to contradict what was mentioned above. When the three primary
colours were all placed on top of each other, whichever colour the sheet underneath was, the colour
viewed through the filter was always dark. The darkness of these colours made them unidentifiable,
which proved to be a difficulty and affected the accuracy of the results. However the colours
produced were mostly shades of brown.
Another notable observation was that colours, which appeared considerably contrasting (such as red
and green), also created a dark colour as very little to no light was reflected, and most of the red
light from the filter would have been absorbed as it travelled through to the green paper. When the
red filter was placed on blue, it also created a dark colour, possibly due to the fact that these colours
blue, red and green were primary colours. However, the red filter had a different effect on the red,
orange and yellow papers. This can be explained as the red paper and red sheet both reflected red,
and the orange and yellow papers were secondary colours produced by red, therefore looked more
lighter in colour.
Some errors may have been present while conducting this experiment. Some factors which led to
possible minor errors could have been that the cellophane used was pale. Another factor, as
explained previously, may have been the darkness of some colours viewed through the colour
filters, which caused them to be quite unidentifiable and hard to name in the results table. The
experiment could be improved if more time was organised to obtain proper cellophane and conduct
the experiment.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the experiment produced satisfactory results which explained the concept of colour
absorption. The results also explained the variations in lighter and darker shades of colour when
viewing a coloured paper through a primary colour filter, justified by the concept of colour
absorption and reflection. The colour filters also filtered the light so that it comes at a certain
wavelength (red, green and blue), absorbing other colours and reflecting only colours that were the
same as or produced by the certain primary colour used in the filter. As the concept of colour
absorption was proven, the experiment proved to be successful

Bibliography

Walpole, Brenda (1987). Fun with Science: Light. Kingfisher Books Limited, London.

www.physicsclassroom.com Light Waves and Colour: Colour and Vision

www.firstyear.chem.usyd.edu.au Colour and Light (Semester 1 Week 8)