One of the most interesting facts about this wheel is that if it is spinning rapidly, our eyes can see the color white, which is not even there in it. But in reality, it is very difficult for paint companies to come up with so many variations. In theory, all of them can be made by mixing the primary, with the secondary and tertiary ones and the total number will be infinite. Many such wheels show more gradation of colors and have 24 colors on them. However, in reality, there are many more varieties, shades, and hues.

These 12 colors form the basis of this wheel. All the other five tertiary types are placed in it in the same way, i.e., in between the primaries and the secondaries from which they are made. Red orange is then placed in between red and orange in the wheel. Thus, when we see blue, or for that matter, any colored object, it means that the respective color is only reflected, and all the other ones are absorbed.įor example, red-orange is made by mixing red (primary) with orange (secondary). For example, a blue object absorbs nearly the full spectrum of light, reflecting the color blue only. When a ray of light falls on a colored object, most of the light is absorbed and only one color is reflected. This is known as the wavelength of visible light spectrum. Sunlight or white light is composed of these different wavelengths of light, and we can see them as different colors, when it is passed through a prism. Each color that we actually see, has a different wavelength, and that is why, we are able to discern them as different colors.

There are other electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, ultraviolet waves, infra-rays, and microwaves, which are not visible to the human eye.

So, the next question is: what is the visible spectrum? Light, as we all know, is an electromagnetic wave, which is visible to our eyes. The first color wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton in 1706, when he passed a beam of sunlight through a prism, and it produced the colors of the visible spectrum. This is useful in interior decoration, garment designing, and other related fields where harmony of colors is vital. This is done so that we can understand the relationship between colors, and which ones are complimentary or contrasting. This wheel is nothing but a visual chart of all visible colors that are arranged in a certain way.

All of us are familiar with the color wheel, which we have seen in a painting class, or while studying about light wavelength in physics.

Color Wheel primaries and secondaries