In the arts, we define as Colorsprimaries those that cannot be obtained by mixing any other color. These colors are the yellow, O blue it's the Red. It is by mixing these three colors that we get the others.
That's the definition we learn in art classes at school, which is based on theoryFrompigments, i.e, color formation by pigmentation. For example, mixing yellow paint with red paint generates orange color.
Color classification
Traditionally, colors are classified into primaries, secondary and tertiary. See how each color is formed in pigment theory.
Colors can be classified as primary, secondary and tertiary.
Primary colors
Primary or pure colors are those that nothey canto beobtained by means of others mixtures. Are they:
Yellow
Blue
Red
Secondary colors
Secondary colors they aregenerated through Mix in two Colors primary.
yellow + red = Orange
red + blue = purple or violet
blue + yellow = green
tertiary colors
Tertiary colors are generated by mixing a color primary with a color secondary.
Red + purple = purplish red(similar to wine)
Red + orange = orange-red or dark orange
yellow + green = greenish yellowor light green
Yellow + orange = orange-yellow(similar to beige)
blue + purple = purplish blue
blue + green = blue-green (similar to water green)
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Cool, warm and neutral colors
Colors can also be named by their “temperature”, that is, according to the streaminginsensations generated by the hue. In this case, they are called neutral, hot and cold. Check out how the classification is:
Neutral colors: are the colors that have fewreflection from light.
Ex.: shades of gray and brown.
Hot colors: are the colors that can convey a sensationinheat.
E.g.: red, orange and yellow.
cold colors: are the colors that transmit sensationincold.
Ex.: blue, green and violet.
Additive and subtractive synthesis
THE theory From pigmentsit's not the only one used for the definition of primary colors, as colors can also be formed from light. At light color theory or energy-color, the primary colors eventually change to red, green, and blue. Based on this principle, the color-light system appears, formed by additive and subtractive synthesis.
additive synthesis
Color matching results in a white colored light.
additive synthesis or additive triad are the primary colors of light: red, green and blue. THE unity of these three colors form the white light. In computing, these three colors are better known as RGB system, which derives from the colors in English red (Red), green (green) and blue (blue) and when combined, can produce the sensation look of othersColors.
The main function of the RGB system is to reproduce the colors in the deviceselectronics. Televisions, computers, projectors, digital cameras, among others, transmit images using this system.
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subtractive synthesis
At subtractive synthesis or subtractive triad, the primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. They get this name as a result of their mixtures result in at the black, i.e, absenceinlight.
When these colors are mixed at different intensities, they can achieve a high amount of tones. This system is known as CMYK, which matches the colors cian (cyan), magenta (pink), yellow (yellow) and black (black).
Color union results in black tone.
CMYK system colors come from the part of the light that is not absorbed. In this case, the main function of CMYK is to reproduce the colors in materialsprinted, being used in printers, photocopiers etc.
Systems involve additive and subtractive colors.
*There is no concrete theory about the use of K to represent the color black (black). Some researchers claim that the 'K' is used as a reference to the word 'Key', which means 'Key' in English, and black is regarded as a key color in the printing industry. The other theory states that the letter 'K' was chosen because the 'B' is used by the blue (blue) of the RGB system.
Primary Colors for Physics
For Physics, the primary colors already had many differentinterpretations. The first of them, theorized by Isaac Newton, explained that the primary colors would be the seven Colorsmoredistinguishable of Rainbow. From the combination of these colors, Newton produced new tones and, in this way, judged them as primary colors.
Thomasyoung, in turn, understood light in a way different: Young interpreted it as a wave and proved that the combination of three frequencies specific inwaves, corresponding to the colors blue, green and Red, would be able to produce all the other colors in the visible spectrum.
A few years later, Young's theory was improved by the German HermannvanHelmholtz: for him, the colors were produced from the combination only threefrequencies of light, since the human eye would be much more sensitive to them. His conclusion was that the human eye should have only three types of color receptors (cells specialized in collecting light).
Helmholtz's theory became known as trichromatic theory and was later confirmed by the experiments done by James Clerk Maxwell, which involved the perceptionof theColors on disks that rotated in highvelocity. Thanks to these studies, Physics currently understands that the existence of primary colors is related to the sensory limitation of the human eye.
By Giullya Franco
Journalist