The main reason that RGB is used for the primary additive colors is
because the cones in human retinae have peak quantum efficiencies for
those colors. If human retinae had four different types of cones, then
color theory would be based on four primary colors.
Daniel Crowe
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
Ardmore Regional Center
dcrowe@sotc.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Forum for Physics Educators [mailto:PHYS-L@list1.ucc.nau.edu] On
Behalf Of Frohne, Vickie
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 12:03 PM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: [PHYS-L] LED mini-flashlight price break
Technically, there are several sets of possible "primary
colors." A set of primary colors can be loosely defined as three colors,
that when mixed, produce all the other colors in the rainbow. Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow is a primary set, and so is RGB, which is the complment
of CMY. Presumably one could define orange, green, violet (the
compliments of RYB) as a "primary" set. There is no compelling physical
reason to favor any of these options over another.