Why is purple on a color wheel but not in the rainbow?
A wavelength scale orders light from shorter to longer waves, while a color wheel arranges hues and includes mixtures such as purple. A wheel needs a chosen color convention; bending a spectrum into a circle would change what the diagram means.
Questions you could explore
- Where does purple fit if it has no single wavelength of its own?
- How do mixtures of light help connect the ends of a perceptual color wheel?
Start reading
- International Commission on Illumination (CIE)Purple stimulus
Defines purple as a hue outside the spectral sequence, an important clue to why a hue circle differs from a wavelength scale.
Ready to try your ideas aloud?
Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.