Question

What are the secondary colours? Name the three secondary colours.

Answer 1

Hint: Colour is considered to be the most important aspect of a visual experience. Two major theories were developed by scientists that discuss the mixing of two colours and these are the additive colour theory and the subtractive colour theory. The primary colours in the additive theory are red, blue and green.

Complete step by step solution:
Step 1: Mention the formation of secondary colours from primary colours.
Secondary colours are the colours formed when any two of the primary colours are mixed together. These secondary colours will be brighter than either of its component colours.

The primary colours are known to be red, blue and green.

Then the secondary colour formed by the mixing of red and green is yellow. Yellow is brighter than red and green.

The secondary colour formed by the mixing of red and blue is magenta. Magenta is brighter than red and blue.

The secondary colour formed by the mixing of blue and green is cyan. Cyan is brighter than blue and green.
Thus the secondary colours formed are yellow, magenta and cyan.

Additional information:In the subtractive colour theory, the primary colours are yellow, magenta and cyan i.e. the secondary colours in the additive theory. The mixing of any two of these colours will produce red, blue and green. Also, the mixing of the primary colours in the subtractive theory is theorized to generate black.

Note: When we say red colour, blue colour or green colour we essentially mean light of wavelength equal to the red light or blue light or green light. The above mentioned secondary colours are formed based on the additive colour theory. According to the additive colour theory if the primary colours red, blue and green were mixed in equal proportions then the colour obtained would be white. The absence of these colours will generate black.