When you first look at this, how many colors do you see? Some might say they see 3 or even 4 colors, but there are 2–red and green! People usually think they see 2 shades of red, but there is only 1. Look closely and you will notice on one side that white boxes surround the red boxes, and on the other side, green boxes do! Due to the placement of these boxes you get the “illusion” of different colors. Since white is not considered to be a color (it is the presence of all colors in scientific terms) we can safely say that there are 2 colors present here! Still don’t understand?
All right, we have established that there are 3 colors present (red and green) plus white. We have also established that due to the placement of these blocks we get the "illusion" of different colors. We also know now that white is not a true color! If white is not a true color, then what is it really? What makes white really white? These are just a few questions that linger over this illusion that I hope to answer for you now.
White, in scientific terms, means the combination of all the light in the visible electromagnetic spectrum. When we see "white" we are actually seeing every color combined. For example, when you shine white light through a prism, everything looks like a rainbow. The prism bends this light so you can see all the colors that it's made of.
If you still don't believe me, I have a little experiment for you to do. I want you to make a color wheel. To do this, you simply need to get a round piece of cardboard and make wedges of color on it. After you do this, stick something through the center of it that will allow you to spin it. Now, spin it! To your amazement, you should not see the individual colors, but the combination of all those colors combined--the wonderful and mysterious "white."
If you talk about white, you must not forget its counterpart, black! Black, again in scientific terms, is when there is no light and thus none of the colors of the visible electromagnetic spectrum are present. For example, if you went into a room with no windows and closed the door which was then sealed up behind you, what color would you see? You'd see black, the absence of color, the absence of everything. Also, you might think of the "black hole" supposedly out in the universe. It is supposed to be devoid of everything. One last thing, did you ever notice as a kid when you tried to color a picture and you were out of black crayon that no matter how hard you tried to mix brown with all the other dark colors, you could never make black? It's because there is no color in black!
If you never knew why white was white and black was black, I hope that you do now!
