1. Blue light and yellow light combine to produce white light because they constructively interfere. Explain why

2. You shine yellow light on an object and it appears black. What color might the object be if illuminated by red light? Justify your response.

1 is not true.

2. It is either black or blue. Black absorbs all colors, blue absorbs yellow and red.

We did a lab and messed around with light. Yellow light was made up of green and red light, so combining it with blue made white light. But I don't know how it works

Then the yellow light you had was not yellow, it was a combination of green and red. RBG makes white.

yes, that's what I'm saying. We mixed red and green to make yellow light, so that plus blue makes white light. But I don't understand how that and constructive interference have anything to do with eachother

1. Blue light and yellow light combine to produce white light because they constructively interfere.

To understand why blue and yellow light combine to produce white light, we need to understand the concept of color perception and light interference. Color perception is based on the way our eyes perceive different wavelengths of light. Blue light has a relatively shorter wavelength compared to yellow light.

When blue light and yellow light are combined, they undergo a process called interference. Constructive interference occurs when two waves, in this case, light waves, meet in phase and combine to form a larger wave with greater intensity.

Blue light and yellow light, being at different ends of the visible light spectrum, have opposite peaks and troughs in their waveforms. When these opposite waveforms combine, they align in a way that the peaks and troughs of one light wave match with the peaks and troughs of the other. This alignment and addition of the two colors' intensities result in white light.

2. If an object appears black when illuminated by yellow light, it means the object is absorbing the yellow light. To determine what color the object might appear when illuminated by red light, we need to consider the properties of red light and color perception.

Red light has a relatively longer wavelength compared to yellow light. It lies on the longer end of the visible light spectrum. When red light falls on an object, various outcomes are possible depending on the object's properties.

If the object absorbs red light, it would appear black when illuminated by red light, just like it did with yellow light. This would mean that the object absorbs both yellow and red light.

However, if the object reflects or transmits red light, it would appear red when illuminated by red light. This would suggest that the object doesn't absorb red light but instead interacts with it in a way that reflects or transmits it back, resulting in our perception of the object being red.

It's important to note that light absorption and reflection depend on the object's material and properties, such as pigmentation and surface characteristics. So, the color an object appears when illuminated by red light can vary depending on these factors.