Different colors correspond to different frequencies of light in the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum encompasses a wide range of wavelengths or frequencies, including the range of light that is visible to the human eye.
Visible light consists of various colors, and each color corresponds to a specific range of frequencies or wavelengths. The colors of the visible spectrum, in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength, are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (often remembered using the mnemonic "ROYGBIV").
Red light has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency among visible colors, while violet light has the shortest wavelength and highest frequency. The colors in between have progressively increasing frequencies and decreasing wavelengths.
To give you a sense of the frequencies and corresponding colors, here are some approximate wavelength ranges and their associated colors:
- Red light: Wavelengths around 620-750 nanometers
- Orange light: Wavelengths around 590-620 nanometers
- Yellow light: Wavelengths around 570-590 nanometers
- Green light: Wavelengths around 495-570 nanometers
- Blue light: Wavelengths around 450-495 nanometers
- Indigo light: Wavelengths around 425-450 nanometers
- Violet light: Wavelengths around 380-425 nanometers
It's important to note that beyond the visible spectrum, there are lower frequency waves such as infrared, microwaves, and radio waves, as well as higher frequency waves such as ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. These waves cannot be seen by the human eye but are still part of the electromagnetic spectrum.