Cambridge Lower Secondary

Science
LEARNER’S BOOK 8
Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman & Michael Smyth

Second edition Digital access

Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
 Cambridge Lower Secondary

Science
LEARNER’S BOOK 8
Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman & Michael Smyth

Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
 6 Light

6.4 Colours of light

In this topic you will:
discover what happens when colours of light are added
discover what happens when colours of light are subtracted
discover why we see different colours.

Getting started Key words

Work in pairs. absorbed coloured filters cyan
Make a list of all the colours you can see in this picture of flowers. magenta
How many did you get? How does this number compare with other groups? non-luminous primary colours sub

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 6.4 Colours of light

Primary colours
Topic 3.3 explained that there are seven colours in white light. These are
the colours that can be seen in the rainbow.
However, there are three colours of light from which all other colours
of light can be made. These are called the primary colours. The
primary colours cannot be made by mixing any other colours of light.
The primary colours of light are:
• red • green • blue.
The primary colours of light are different from the primary colours in
paints. The colours in light mix differently from the colours in paint.

Adding colours of light

The diagram shows what happens when three beams of light, each red
of a different primary colour, overlap.
magentayellow white
You can see the effect of adding the primary colours:
• red + green = yellow
• red + blue = magenta blue green
cyan
• blue + green = cyan
• red + green + blue = white.
The different colours that you see on a mobile phone, computer or Colours formed by overlapping the
television are all produced from combinations of the three primary three primary colours of light
colours of light.
When you look very closely at some types of computer monitor,
television or phone screen, you can see the individual sources of
red, green and blue light.

The colours on this phone display are made by adding the Close-up of a television screen showing the sources of
the three primary colours of light. primary colours of light.

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 6 Light

When you look at a television or phone screen, you see far more colours
than just red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow and white. Most screens
can display 256 different colours. Changing the brightness of the primary
colours makes all these different colours. For example, orange is made by
adding red and green, but with the red brighter than the green. Research
has shown that 256 is the maximum number of colours that most people
can see.

Subtracting colours of light

You have probably used a filter in your chemistry lessons. Filters
are used to remove something from a mixture.
You can also use coloured filters to remove colours from light.
If a transparent piece of coloured glass or plastic is placed in
front of a white light, then only light of that colour will be
transmitted (get through). All the other colours will be absorbed.
A common example of coloured filters is in traffic lights.
The traffic lights use three identical white lamps. In front of each
lamp is a coloured filter for red, yellow or green.
Take the red filter as the example to see how this works.
White light, from the lamp, is made from the seven colours of
light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
When these seven colours arrive at the red filter, only red is
transmitted. The other six are absorbed. This is shown in These traffic lights use coloured filters.
the diagram.

Figure 6.4.3: A coloured filter works by absorbing the colours of light that are different from
the colour of the filter.

This is an example of subtraction of light. White light has had

six colours subtracted to leave only red.
In the traffic lights, the yellow and green filters work in exactly the same
way. Each of them absorbs six colours and only transmits one colour.

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 6.4 Colours of light

The blue stage light in the picture has a white lamp and a blue filter. If
you look carefully, you can see where the white lamp is inside the black
case.
The colours of the filters in stage lights can be changed to produce
different colours.
Photographers sometimes use coloured filters on a camera to get
different effects.

This stage light is using a white lamp and a blue filter. What colour was the filter used in taking this photograph?

As with numbers, it is possible to subtract colours of light until the end

result is zero.
For example, if white light shines on a green filter, only green light will
get through. The other colours of the white light are absorbed.
If this green light then shines on a red filter then no light will get
through. Green is one of the colours that a red filter absorbs.
white light no green light
only green light passes through
passes through

green filter red filter

The result of using two different coloured filters

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 6 Light

Seeing colours
When you look at a non-luminous object, you see the light that is
reflected from the object. ‘Non-luminous’ means the object does not
emit its own light.
Look at the flower in the picture.
The flower is seen in white light. The flower looks yellow because it
reflects only yellow light. The flower absorbs the other six colours in
white light. This is shown in the diagram.

white light coming in

yellow light

yellow surface

The flower appears yellow because it reflects yellow light and absorbs the other colours.

A white object reflects all the colours in white light equally.

A black object absorbs all the colours in white light and does not
reflect any.
These three balls appear black, red or white, according which colours
of light they reflect and which they absorb.

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 6.4 Colours of light

Look at the two cubes in Figure 6.4.7. One is red and A

the other is blue. The cubes are shown in different blue and red
colours of light. cubes seen
in white light
The red cube appears black when seen in green light.
This is because red objects only reflect red light.
They absorb all other colours. Here, the red cube is B

absorbing the blue light and not reflecting any light. blue and
red cubes
The blue cube appears black when seen in red light for seen in blue
the same reason. It absorbs the red light and does not light

reflect any light. C

Questions blue and

1 List the three primary colours of light. red cubes
seen in red
2 Name the colour produced when light

a red light and blue light are added together a blue and red cubes in white light; b the same cubes
in green light; c the same cubes in red light.
b red light and green light are added together
c red, green and blue lights are added together.
3 A stage light uses a white lamp.
What colour of light will be seen when:
a a yellow filter is used
b an orange filter is used.
4 a A green ball appears green. What colour of light could be
shining on the green ball? Choose two.
blue green red white magenta
b A blue ball appears black. What two colours of light could be
shining on the blue ball?
blue green red white
5 A T-shirt looks red. What could explain this?
Write three letters.
A the T-shirt is red and is seen in white light
B the T-shirt is red and is seen in red light
C the T-shirt is blue and is seen in green light
D the T-shirt is white and is seen in red light
E the T-shirt is yellow and is seen in blue light

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 6 Light

Activity 6.4.1
Making colours on the screen
Many computer applications, such as those for word-processing
and slide-making, have colour options. In the ‘more colours’
options of these there are RGB tools to customise colours.
The letters RGB stand for ‘red’, ‘green’ and ‘blue’, the primary
colours of light. You can adjust these to make whatever colour
you want. For example, bright red has:
• R at maximum
• G at zero
• B at zero.
Bright yellow has:
• R at maximum
• G at maximum
• B at zero.
Try making:
• magenta
• cyan
• white
• black.
Now make some other colours of your choice.
In each case, write down the RGB settings for each colour.

Think like a scientist

Identify the colour

In this investigation, you will make predictions about colours and light. Work in groups of two or three.

You will need:

white paper and coloured paper• coloured pens• flashlights• coloured filters
a room that can be darkened

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