Section 2 | Page 1

Objects in nature derive their color from colorants they possess that absorb or subtract certain wavelengths of light while reflecting other wavelengths back to the viewer. For example, a red apple really has no color; it

merely reflects the wavelengths of white light that cause us to see red and absorbs most of the other wavelengths. The viewer (or detector) can be the human eye, film in a camera or a light sensing instrument.

Color is a visual sensation that involves three elementsùa light source, an object and a viewer.  A red apple really has no color. It merely reflects the wavelengths of white light that cause us to see red and absorbs most of the other wavelengths.