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Larry Woolf wrote:-----------------
The question addresses the common misconception that "all of the
colors are in the rainbow."
This may not be a misconception among physics teachers, but it is
among many students. Magenta is easily used as an example of a color
that consists of a mixture of short and long wavelengths - a
non-spectral color.
There are indeed lots of misconceptions about color---------------------
and the perception of color.
It is 100% true that "magenta is a non-spectral color"
but the point is lost on many students, unless you
provide a lot of foundation and preparation.
Part of the problem is that many students have a
terribly impoverished vocabulary for describing
colors. If you tell them the subtractive primaries
are "cyan, magenta, and yellow" the typical reaction
is
-- what is cyan?
-- what is magenta?
Some people know the difference between cyan and
blue, but nobody is born knowing it, and lots of
people don't know it.