What does blue plus yellow plus red equal?

Color is a fascinating topic that involves both science and art. When different colored lights mix together, the results can be surprising. This article will explore what happens when the primary colors blue, yellow, and red mix together.

The Basics of Color Mixing

In order to understand what blue plus yellow plus red equals, we first need to cover some color theory basics. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. When mixed together in different combinations, these three colors can create all other colors. This is known as the additive color model.

The secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors together. Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and blue and red make purple. Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color next to it on the color wheel. For example, red and orange make red-orange, and yellow and green make yellow-green.

When all three primary colors are mixed together in equal amounts, the result is white light. This is because white light contains all wavelengths of visible light. The primary colors represent the three color receptors in our eyes, so when stimulated equally, our eyes see white.

The more technical explanation has to do with wavelengths. Red, green, and blue light have wavelengths of approximately 700 nm, 546 nm, and 435 nm respectively. When combined, these wavelengths blend to create white light, which is why computer and TV screens use RGB (red, green, blue) pixels to create color images.

Additive vs. Subtractive Color Mixing

There are two main ways that colors mix together – additive and subtractive color mixing. Both involve the primary colors, but the results are quite different.

Additive color mixing involves light. When colored lights shine on the same surface, the eye sees a blend of the colors. Starting with darkness, as more colored light is added, the result gets lighter and approaches white. Computer screens, TVs, theater lighting, and laser light shows all use additive color mixing.

Subtractive color mixing involves pigments, dyes, inks, and paints. Rather than starting with darkness, subtractive mixing starts with white. As more colored pigments are added, they absorb certain wavelengths of light and the result gets darker and approaches black. Printing, painting, and other color media use subtractive color mixing.

The primary colors are the same for additive and subtractive mixing, but the secondary colors are different. For additive mixing, secondary colors are cyan, magenta and yellow, while for subtractive mixing, the secondaries are orange, green, and purple.

Mixing the Primary Colors

So what happens when you mix the primary colors blue, yellow, and red together? The answer depends on whether we are additive mixing colored light, or subtractively mixing pigments.

With additive mixing of light, the primary colors blue, yellow, and red combine to make white light. Starting with darkness, shining equal amounts of blue, yellow and red light results in a bright white. This is why many stage lights use a combination of red, green, and blue light to create vibrant white light for performances.

With subtractive mixing of pigments, the combination of blue, yellow, and red paint creates a dark brown or black color. Starting with a white canvas or paper, adding equal amounts of the primaries results in a muddy dark brown due to the pigments absorbing wide ranges of wavelengths.

The table below summarizes the results of additive vs. subtractive mixing of the primary colors blue, yellow, and red:

Mixing Type	Starting Color	Mixed Result
Additive (Light)	Darkness	White
Subtractive (Pigment)	White	Dark Brown/Black

The precise resulting color can vary based on the specific wavelengths or pigments used. But in general, additive mixing leads to lighter colors while subtractive mixing leads to darker colors.

Color Mixing in Action

It’s one thing to talk about color mixing in theory, but seeing it in action really drives the lessons home. Here are some demonstrations of additive and subtractive color mixing that let you observe the primary colors combining.

Additive Color Mixing

This excellent video shows pure red, green, and blue light mixing additively. The colors start off separated, then overlap to create shades of white. Pay attention to how the light gets brighter as more colors overlap:

[Embed additive color mixing video]

Another way to visualize additive mixing is by spinning color wheels or discs. Each disc has segments of the primary and secondary colors. When spun quickly, the colors blend additively to create white in the center. These color wheels illustrate the concepts well when physical colored lights are not available.

Subtractive Color Mixing

For subtractive color mixing, this video demonstrates red, yellow, and blue paint being blended together. Notice how the paint darkens to a brown and then nearly black color as all three primaries are mixed together on the paper:

[Embed subtractive color mixing video]

A simple hands-on way to experiment with subtractive mixing is to blend primary colored marker colors together. Start with three markers colored red, yellow, and blue. Make strokes on paper with each color, then use additional strokes to overlap and blend the colors. The more the primaries overlap, the closer the blend will come to black.

Applications of Color Mixing

Now that we understand the results of mixing the primary colors, what are some practical applications of this knowledge? Color mixing principles are extremely useful for many areas including:

Television and computer monitors
Stage and theatrical lighting

Photography and film
Printing and graphic design
Painting, pigments, dyes

Color coding and labeling
Biology and microscopy
Psychology and color perception

Physics and wavelength interactions

Here are just a few examples of color mixing in action:

TVs use red, green, and blue pixels to produce a full range of colors through additive mixing.

Printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to generate color images via subtractive mixing.
Theater gels and lighting filters come in the primary colors to allow stage designers to create a spectrum through overlapping.
Smartphone displays and digital projectors calibrate the intensity of their RGB elements to achieve accurate, vibrant color reproduction.

Painters mix paints on a palette to enable precise control over the subtractive color mixing.

Overall, color mixing pervades many domains where accurate color control and reproduction is required. Whether additive or subtractive, the primary color combinations provide a powerful toolkit for manipulating light and pigments.

The Psychology of Color Mixing

In addition to the technical aspects, color mixing has psychological implications as well. The way our eyes and brains perceive different color combinations can impact emotions, sensations, and preferences.

Some examples of psychological color mixing effects include:

Vibrant, saturated colors tend to be exciting and energetic.
Mixing complementary colors creates high-contrast, dynamic combinations.

Analogous cool or warm colors are soothing and harmonious.
Darker, muddier mixes can feel gloomy or ominous.
Bright, light mixes feel cheerful and upbeat.

Graphics designers, therapists, and other professionals carefully apply color mixing principles to evoke desired psychological responses. Brands also use additive and subtractive mixing in logos to connect with target audiences. Psychology plays a key role in the art and science behind color.

Teaching Color Mixing to Children

Exploring color mixing is a fun, engaging way to teach children core concepts in science, art, and problem solving. Students can gain hands-on experience with both additive and subtractive mixing techniques.

Some ideas for teaching color mixing include:

Letting kids experiment with flashlights and gel filters.
Using color paddles and spinning wheels to observe additive mixing.
Providing primary colored paints, markers, and other media to blend.

Building color mixing stations with red, yellow, and blue spotlights.
Encouraging predictions about color combinations before mixing.
Challenging students to recreate specific hues through mixing.

Seeing firsthand how the primaries interact to form new colors helps solidify color theory principles. Children also hone their observation, experimentation, and critical thinking skills. Plus, color mixing activities engage and inspire creativity in budding young artists!

The Importance of Primary Colors

As demonstrated throughout this article, the primary colors play a pivotal role in color mixing across many disciplines. Red, yellow, and blue form the foundation for manipulating both light and pigment to produce a vast array of hues.

Understanding these three pure colors provides painters the palette to recreate any scene. TV technicians leverage them to program vivid displays. Stage designers depend on their interplay to set a mood. And as Isaac Newton discovered centuries ago, even white light depends critically on the contributions of the primary colors.

By studying how the primaries combine both additively and subtractively, we gain power over color itself. Whether mixing soap bubbles or printer inks, the versatile and vibrant primary colors deliver boundless color possibilities.

Conclusion

Mixing the primary colors blue, yellow, and red results in white light when combining colored lights additively, and a dark brown or black when mixing colored pigments subtractively. This difference arises because additive mixing starts with darkness and builds up to white light through combining wavelengths. Subtractive mixing starts with white and absorbs more wavelengths as primary pigments are blended, trending toward black.

The mixing of blue, yellow, and red underlies many areas from art to science and technology. Hands-on color mixing allows children to explore principles of light, vision, and color perception. Whether shining lights or blending paints, the primaries provide a color basis spanning physics, physiology, and the psychology of color.