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Superposition of light waves of different colors

How photons represent colors that you see?Why does black get heated the most?How do we demonstrate that all spectral colors exist in nature?Is there such a thing as purple light?Are there multiple ways to create the same color?What, if anything, makes primary colours distinct?Mechanism for visible light frequency mixing in storm cloudsHow to imagine the electromagnetic waves?How is white light produced from only Red, Blue and Green?How does light combine to make new colours?

2

1

$begingroup$

Can someone please assist? My question is regarding visible light. If, for example, red light and blue light are waves of different wavelengths and frequencies then how do they combine with all the other em waves on the visible spectrum to produce one wave of visible light? If waves of varying frequencies blend together then couldn’t all waves on the spectrum do so? I probably have a fundamental misunderstanding but I can’t seem to get my head around it.

visible-light electromagnetic-radiation frequency

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edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

New contributor

Blob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  What do you mean by "one wave of visible light"? Visible light from the Sun or a typical light bulb is a mixture of waves of many frequencies.
  $endgroup$
  – PM 2Ring
  16 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

2

1

$begingroup$

Can someone please assist? My question is regarding visible light. If, for example, red light and blue light are waves of different wavelengths and frequencies then how do they combine with all the other em waves on the visible spectrum to produce one wave of visible light? If waves of varying frequencies blend together then couldn’t all waves on the spectrum do so? I probably have a fundamental misunderstanding but I can’t seem to get my head around it.

visible-light electromagnetic-radiation frequency

share|cite|improve this question

edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

New contributor

Blob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

$endgroup$

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  $begingroup$
  What do you mean by "one wave of visible light"? Visible light from the Sun or a typical light bulb is a mixture of waves of many frequencies.
  $endgroup$
  – PM 2Ring
  16 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

Can someone please assist? My question is regarding visible light. If, for example, red light and blue light are waves of different wavelengths and frequencies then how do they combine with all the other em waves on the visible spectrum to produce one wave of visible light? If waves of varying frequencies blend together then couldn’t all waves on the spectrum do so? I probably have a fundamental misunderstanding but I can’t seem to get my head around it.

visible-light electromagnetic-radiation frequency

share|cite|improve this question

edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

New contributor

Blob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

$endgroup$

share|cite|improve this question

edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

New contributor

Blob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|cite|improve this question

edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

New contributor

Blob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

edited 13 hours ago

Ben Crowell

52.2k6159306

asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

New contributor

Blob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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asked 18 hours ago

BlobBlob

141

2 Answers
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5

$begingroup$

In some way this is similar to sound. The eardrum moves in response to the total sound pressure of all incoming waves. Then the ear does a kind of analog Fourier analysis, splitting the signal in different frequencies, mapped to different nerve cells in the auditory nerve.

The eye filters the total electric field by different pigments in different visual receptors (the cones). Some of these cone cells respond primarily to frequencies in the red, others to blue, others to green.

share|cite|improve this answer

edited 10 hours ago

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

$endgroup$

add a comment | 

4

$begingroup$

Electromagnetic fields add with superposition, meaning that the field at a certain point in space is the sum of all present field components. We'd have a single resulting field with with different spectral component.

For example sunlight contains the visible light that we can observe but also contains UV-components which are very much there, but we can still see them.

Theoretically all waves on the electromagnetic spectrum can blend together in this way since the principle of superposition applies.

share|cite|improve this answer

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519

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5

$begingroup$

In some way this is similar to sound. The eardrum moves in response to the total sound pressure of all incoming waves. Then the ear does a kind of analog Fourier analysis, splitting the signal in different frequencies, mapped to different nerve cells in the auditory nerve.

The eye filters the total electric field by different pigments in different visual receptors (the cones). Some of these cone cells respond primarily to frequencies in the red, others to blue, others to green.

share|cite|improve this answer

edited 10 hours ago

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

$endgroup$

add a comment | 

5

$begingroup$

In some way this is similar to sound. The eardrum moves in response to the total sound pressure of all incoming waves. Then the ear does a kind of analog Fourier analysis, splitting the signal in different frequencies, mapped to different nerve cells in the auditory nerve.

The eye filters the total electric field by different pigments in different visual receptors (the cones). Some of these cone cells respond primarily to frequencies in the red, others to blue, others to green.

share|cite|improve this answer

edited 10 hours ago

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

$endgroup$

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

In some way this is similar to sound. The eardrum moves in response to the total sound pressure of all incoming waves. Then the ear does a kind of analog Fourier analysis, splitting the signal in different frequencies, mapped to different nerve cells in the auditory nerve.

The eye filters the total electric field by different pigments in different visual receptors (the cones). Some of these cone cells respond primarily to frequencies in the red, others to blue, others to green.

share|cite|improve this answer

edited 10 hours ago

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

$endgroup$

share|cite|improve this answer

edited 10 hours ago

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

answered 15 hours ago

PieterPieter

8,57531435

4

$begingroup$

Electromagnetic fields add with superposition, meaning that the field at a certain point in space is the sum of all present field components. We'd have a single resulting field with with different spectral component.

For example sunlight contains the visible light that we can observe but also contains UV-components which are very much there, but we can still see them.

Theoretically all waves on the electromagnetic spectrum can blend together in this way since the principle of superposition applies.

share|cite|improve this answer

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519

$endgroup$

add a comment | 

4

$begingroup$

Electromagnetic fields add with superposition, meaning that the field at a certain point in space is the sum of all present field components. We'd have a single resulting field with with different spectral component.

For example sunlight contains the visible light that we can observe but also contains UV-components which are very much there, but we can still see them.

Theoretically all waves on the electromagnetic spectrum can blend together in this way since the principle of superposition applies.

share|cite|improve this answer

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519

$endgroup$

add a comment | 

$begingroup$

Electromagnetic fields add with superposition, meaning that the field at a certain point in space is the sum of all present field components. We'd have a single resulting field with with different spectral component.

For example sunlight contains the visible light that we can observe but also contains UV-components which are very much there, but we can still see them.

Theoretically all waves on the electromagnetic spectrum can blend together in this way since the principle of superposition applies.

share|cite|improve this answer

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519

$endgroup$

share|cite|improve this answer

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519

answered 17 hours ago

DakkVaderDakkVader

7519