Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (2024)

There are seven colors in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The acronym “ROY G. BIV” is a handy reminder for the color sequence that makes up the rainbow.

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (1)

But elementary school finger painting teaches us that there are three primary colors—red, yellow and blue—that combine to makethree secondary colors—orange, green and purple—and (plus or minus some black and white paint) every other color imaginable.That’s six basiccolors.

So in the rainbow, purple is subdivided into purple and more-blue-ish-purple. Who the bananas made that decision?!? And why?

The short answers: Isaac Newton. And Ancient Greek philosophy. Um, what?

The visual spectrum

Color theory is a bit more complicated than stirring together the rightfinger paints.We mix pigments using the well-understood but confusingly-named subtractive method1, which uses red, blue and yellow as primary colors2. However wesee colors in light waves. And light combines colors according to the theadditive mixing method, which uses red, blue and green as primary colors3.

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (2)
Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (3)

So where does Sir Isaac come into this? In the 17th century, he was the one who realized that, when we break white light apart using a prism (or rain drops), wegetthe visual spectrum of colored light (otherwise known as the rainbow).

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (4)

As you can see, in the visual spectrum, each color bleeds into its neighbors. It’s not a distinct set of colors but rather, well, a spectrum4. But Newton decided we should probably break this spectrum up into chunks, so we could more easily talk about it. But how many divisions should there be…?

Ancient Greece and the magic of 7

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (5)

Seven is lucky. Or so those of us in Western Cultures have always been told. But why? We can trace the roots of this associationback to the 6th century BC and a dude named Pythagoras5. Now, Pythagoras loved numbers. And he loved applying numbers to real-world phenomena. He’s credited with discovering the fact that musical notes (of which there are seven) could be translated into mathematical equations, and he had a theory about how the heavenly bodies(seven of which where known about at the time) moved according to mathematical patterns.

Noticing a pattern? Pythagoras did: his observations showed that 7 was a magical number that somehow connected disparate phenomena. He further saw it as the sum of the spiritual (3) and the material (4).

Pythagoras also started a school, and the ideas he espoused grew into a philosophy called Pythagoreanism, based on mathematics and mysticism. Pythagoreanism influenced some of themost well-known classical thinkers, including Aristotle and Plato.

And thus we now have seven days of the week, seven liberal arts subjects, seven deadly sins, seven wonders of the world and seven dwarves.

So how did it get applied to the rainbow?

The circular route from Pythagaros to Newton

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (6)

The Pythagorean philosopher Philoalaus is the first known person to posit that the earth resolved around a “central fire” (rather than everything revolving around the earth). This theory was in turn used by Copernicus, who is widely credited with developing the heliocentric theory of planetary motion. And Newton relied on Copernicus’ work when developing his own theory of gravity.

So TL;DR Newton thought the Pythagoreans were pretty great.

When he started his work with color, heoriginally only subdivided the spectrum into five colors (red, yellow, green, blue and purple), but revised the number to seven, adding orange and indigo, because Pythagorasbelieved that there was a connection between color and music. And there are seven naturalnotes, so there should also be seven principal colors.

Math, music, numerology and a couple of dead guys. That, kids, is why there are seven colors in the rainbow.

How many colors do you think should be in the rainbow? 6, 7 or other? Let us know in the comments!”

1. It’s called subtractive because you’re “subtracting” light as you add color. The more color you add, the darker you get. When you mix all three colors you hypothetically get black, which is all light subtracted. Totally intuitive, right? </sarcasm>
2. To make things even more confusing, when you’re talking about printing—which uses subtractive color mixing—you call the primary colors CMYK: cyan (a shade of blue), magenta (which is kind of red-ish, I guess?), yellow (okay, one of them is easy) and black (which is called k because the “k”ey plate in a printer is filled with black ink).
3. Additive because you’re adding light. And if you mix all of the colors (or wavelengths) of light, they add up to white.
4. If you want to know more, Wikipedia has a pretty sweet table of important spectral colors and their wavelengths.
5. Yup, the same guy who came up with the a2+b2=c2 right triangle theorem.

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? (2024)

FAQs

Why Are There 7 Colors in the Rainbow? ›

The colours you see when a rainbow appears are the result of light being split into its various individual wavelengths. This gives us a spectrum of colours that range from the shorter blue and violet wavelengths through to the longer red wavelengths.

Who decided the 7 colours of the rainbow? ›

Around 1665, Isaac Newton performed experiments with a prism producing a spectrum in which he identified seven colours. Prior to that, the spectrum had been thought to have five colours.

Why can we only see 7 colors? ›

Why are there only seven colors in the Rainbow? There is an infinite number of colors in a rainbow but we only see the seven colors (ROYGBIV). It comes down to the way our eyes function. Even though a rainbow has a lot of colors, the cells in our eyes only respond to three: Red, Green, and Blue.

What does 7 colors mean? ›

Noun. A Sunday meal. “Guys I'm going home this weekend, don't wanna miss 7 colours on Sunday.” It is coined as 7 colours because it comprises a lot of colourful ingredients; a mix of vegetables, starch and meat that make up various colours.

Why are indigo and violet separate? ›

Indigo is omitted because few people can differentiate the wavelengths well enough to see it as a separate color. The six-color spectrum also fits the model of the color wheel, with red, yellow, and blue being primary colors. Orange, green, and violet are secondary colors and are spaced between the primary colors.

What does the Bible say about rainbow colors? ›

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

Which Colour is missing in a rainbow? ›

Purple, magenta, and hot pink, as we know, don't occur in the rainbow from a prism because they can only be made as a combination of red and blue light. And those are on opposite sides of the rainbow, nowhere near overlapping. So there is no purple or hot pink in the rainbow from a prism.

What color can humans not see? ›

We see our world in a huge variety of colour. However, there are other “colours” that our eyes can't see, beyond red and violet, they are: infrared and ultraviolet. Comparing these pictures, taken in these three “types of light”, the rainbow appears to extend far beyond the visible light.

What are the forbidden colors? ›

Red-green and yellow-blue are the so-called "forbidden colors." Composed of pairs of hues whose light frequencies automatically cancel each other out in the human eye, they're supposed to be impossible to see simultaneously.

Is there a color humans can't see? ›

Therefore, the colours 'blueish-yellow' and 'greenish-red' are the alleged “impossible” colours that we can't see.

Why is indigo in the rainbow? ›

Experts say that Newton only put indigo in the rainbow because he wanted seven colors, and indigo was an extremely valuable commodity at the time. But many believe that what Newton called “blue” was closer to the modern “aqua,” a mix between blue and green, and that his “indigo” was what we'd call “blue” today.

What is the 7th color name? ›

The colours of the rainbow are: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Can you find items from around the house in each of the seven colours? How many red items can you find?

What do rainbows symbolize? ›

A rainbow is often a sign of hope, the beauty after the storm, a pot of gold and good fortune at the rainbow's end. For many, a rainbow carries a personal symbolic meaning–representing inclusivity and diversity, an all-embracing image of love and friendship.

Why are there 2 purples in the rainbow? ›

There is no purple light in a rainbow. When white light splits through a prism or refracts as it passes through a raindrop, expanding in to bands of multicolored light, nothing purple comes out the other end.

Why is the sky blue not violet or indigo? ›

This is because the sun emits a higher concentration of blue light waves in comparison violet. Furthermore, as our eyes are more sensitive to blue rather than violet this means to us the sky appears blue.

Why isn't indigo blue? ›

The closest color to indigo according to the color spectrum is blue. As discussed, indigo sits between blue and purple (violet) on the color wheel, violet sits halfway between blue and purple, so the indigo shade is technically closest to blue.

Why did God give the rainbow? ›

After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and all his descendants that never again would the human family be threatened with total annihilation by flood. The sign God gave Noah to assure him of this covenant was the rainbow.

Is rainbow God's symbol? ›

In Judeo-Christianity, the rainbow is associated with God's protection, as it is described in the Book of Genesis (9:11–17) as a sign of the covenant between God and man.

Why does God have a rainbow? ›

Even around the throne of God, there is pictured a majestic rainbow—used to communicate the glory of God (Rev. 4:3). One day, the rainbow will no longer be misused by sinners to boast in their sin. The rainbow will be reserved for the glory of God alone when Christ returns and makes all things new.

What is the rarest color in the rainbow? ›

They're out there, but not many. Blue is one of the rarest of colors in nature. Even the few animals and plants that appear blue don't actually contain the color. These vibrant blue organisms have developed some unique features that use the physics of light.

What is the hardest color to see in a rainbow? ›

Blue is the hardest color to see as more light energy is required for a full response from blue-violet cones, compared to green or red.. Red is the least visible color, human eyes are more sensitive to green, therefore the displays of night vision equipment are always in green and white.

How many colors can humans see? ›

HOW MANY COLORS CAN HUMANS SEE? Researchers estimate that most humans can see around one million different colors. This is because a healthy human eye has three types of cone cells, each of which can register about 100 different color shades, amounting to around a million combinations.

What colors do dogs see? ›

Human eyes have three types of cones that can identify combinations of red, blue, and green. Dogs possess only two types of cones and can only discern blue and yellow - this limited color perception is called dichromatic vision.

What color is most invisible to the human eye? ›

Black is the absence of the visible light spectrum wavelengths. Everything in a dark room appears black because there is no visible light to strike your eye as you gaze at the surrounding objects.

What is the easiest color for humans to see? ›

Green, the mixture of blue and yellow, can be seen everywhere and in countless shades. In fact, the human eye sees green better than any color in the spectrum. This, along with many other facts about this earthly color, makes it an essential part of our everyday lives.

What is cursed colors? ›

Cursed Colors is a roguelite game, where the key to success lies on destroying enemies by matching different colors while you attack. Every enemy has it weakness, exploit it to get an advantage and progress through the world.

What is the most threatening color? ›

Red color meanings

The color red is commonly associated with: Danger. Passion.

What is the hardest color to see? ›

So, What Are the Hardest Colors To See? The short answer is Red. The red color is the hardest to see in the darkness.

What is a legendary color? ›

Legendary is a soft, gray, millennial beige with a silvery undertone. It is a perfect paint color for a living room or exterior home.

What color does the human eye see first? ›

On the other hand, since yellow is the most visible color of all the colors, it is the first color that the human eye notices. Use it to get attention, such as a yellow sign with black text, or as an accent. Have you noticed yellow fire engines in some cities?

What color is not found in nature? ›

One reason is that true blue colours or pigments simply don't exist in nature, and plants and animals have to perform tricks to appear blue, according to the University of Adelaide. Take blue jays for example, which only appear blue due to the structure of their feathers, which distort the reflection of light.

Who invented rainbow? ›

Finally, Isaac Newton proved that white light is made up of a spectrum of colours by splitting light with a prism. His discovery, together with the work of others before him, finally explained how rainbows form. He also noted that the sequence of the colours of a rainbow never changed, always running in the same order.

Can certain colors affect your mood? ›

Colors close to the red spectrum are warmer colors, including red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Whereas blue colors like purple and green are known for evoking feelings of calm, sadness, or indifference.

Is white a color or not? ›

Some consider white to be a colour, because white light comprises all hues on the visible light spectrum. And many do consider black to be a colour, because you combine other pigments to create it on paper. But in a technical sense, black and white are not colours, they're shades. They augment colours.

What color is 711? ›

Color Charm 7N/711 Medium Blonde.

Is Gold a color or a Shade? ›

Gold, also called golden, is a color tone resembling the gold chemical element. The web color gold is sometimes referred to as golden to distinguish it from the color metallic gold. The use of gold as a color term in traditional usage is more often applied to the color "metallic gold" (shown below).

What color is year 7? ›

Yellow and off-white are the colors for the seventh anniversary, and the seven-year anniversary stones are onyx, yellow sapphire, and golden beryl. So you can use these symbols for seven years of marriage to help inspire a gift.

What does 🌈 mean from a girl? ›

🌈 Rainbow emoji

, it's commonly used to express LGBTQ identity and pride.

What does it mean when you see a rainbow at a funeral? ›

Spiritual awakening: In many cultures, rainbows are a sign of a spiritual awakening. Seeing a rainbow at a funeral or shortly after one is a sign that your loved one's spirit is in its next destination.

What does it mean if you see the end of a rainbow? ›

If you say that something is at the end of the rainbow, you mean that people want it but it is almost impossible to obtain or achieve.

Who came up with the rainbow theory? ›

The theory of the rainbow that everyone learns in high school physics classes is pretty much the one that René Descartes came up with almost 400 years ago.

Who explained the theory of rainbow? ›

The basic scientific explanation for rainbows dates to Persian physicist Kamāl al-Dīn al-Fārisī and, independently, German physicist Theodoric of Freiberg in the 14th century. But scientists continued to work on the theory into the 1970s and beyond [see “The Theory of the Rainbow,” by H.

Who came up with over the rainbow? ›

The lyrics were written by Yip Harburg, the youngest of four children born to Russian-Jewish immigrants. His real name was Isidore Hochberg, and he grew up in a Yiddish-speaking, Orthodox Jewish home in New York.

Who gave the concept of rainbow? ›

The first scientific—in the modern meaning of the word—studies date back to the Arabic Middle Ages: the Persian astronomer and mathematician Qutb Al-Dīn al-Shirāzī (1236–1311) and his pupil al-Fārisī, also known as Kamāl al-Dīn (1260–1320), 3 tried to give a first mathematical explanation of the rainbow, which was ...

Has anyone ever touched a rainbow? ›

We could touch rainbows if they were physical objects. But rainbows, unfortunately, are not physical objects. A rainbow is "a distorted image of the sun" whose light raindrops bend, reflect and scatter on its way to our eyes, write meteorologists Raymond L. Lee, Jr. and Alistair B.

Has anyone ever found the end of a rainbow? ›

No. A rainbow is a visual phenomenon.

Why is rainbow curved? ›

The reason why the rainbow is curved is that all the angles of the water drop have to be just right for the drop to send some sunlight to you, standing on the ground.

What is the scientific story of the rainbow? ›

When light enters a droplet of water, it is refracted, reflected internally on the back of the droplet, and then refracted once more when it departs, resulting in this rainbow. In a double rainbow, a second arc emerges outside the primary arc, with the colour sequence reversed and red on the inner side of the arc.

Why is it called the rainbow? ›

The word rainbow comes from the Old English word 'renboga', which is derived from the words 'regn' meaning 'rain' and 'boga' meaning 'anything bent or arched'.

What is the myth on the first rainbow? ›

In the Hebrew Book of Genesis, after the flood had almost wiped out the entire human race, God told Noah that he will set the rainbow as a token of his promise that he would never send another flood large enough to destroy all life.

Is there a reverse rainbow? ›

It is nearly twice as wide as the primary bow. A key feature of double rainbows is that the colour sequence in the second rainbow is reversed, so instead of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (ROYGBIV), the colours appear in VIBGYOR order.

Why was rainbow created? ›

Sunlight appears white. When sunlight hits a rain droplet, some of the light is reflected. The electromagnetic spectrum is made of light with many different wavelengths, and each is reflected at a different angle. Thus, spectrum is separated, producing a rainbow.

How was rainbow discovered? ›

Newton's Rainbow. In the 1660s, English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton began a series of experiments with sunlight and prisms. He demonstrated that clear white light was composed of seven visible colors.

What is the significance of the rainbow in the Bible? ›

Even around the throne of God, there is pictured a majestic rainbow—used to communicate the glory of God (Rev. 4:3). One day, the rainbow will no longer be misused by sinners to boast in their sin. The rainbow will be reserved for the glory of God alone when Christ returns and makes all things new.

What does it mean when you see the end of the rainbow? ›

phrase. If you say that something is at the end of the rainbow, you mean that people want it but it is almost impossible to obtain or achieve.

What is the symbolism of the rainbow? ›

A rainbow is often a sign of hope, the beauty after the storm, a pot of gold and good fortune at the rainbow's end. For many, a rainbow carries a personal symbolic meaning–representing inclusivity and diversity, an all-embracing image of love and friendship.

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