Final answer:
Primary colors, consisting of red, green, and blue, cannot be achieved from a mixture of other colors and forms the basis for all other colors. Combining these primary colors in the right proportions gives the impression of white light. Contrarily, the absence of a color in white light results in the complementary color being perceived.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pure or fundamental colors that cannot be achieved from a mixture are the primary colors. These basic colors consist of red, green, and blue (RGB), which correspond to the three types of cones in our eyes. Our eyes perceive the combination of these primary colors as white light.
A simplified theory of color vision states that a myriad of hues can be produced by varying combinations of these primary colors. Another important concept in color theory is the idea of complementary colors, which are colors that, when combined in the right proportions, also represent white light.
These are the colors located directly across from each other on the color wheel, for example, red and green. When all colors except one are absorbed from white light, our eyes perceive the complementary color. For example, when a strip absorbs the complementary color from white light (in this case, indigo), it appears yellow.
Learn more about Primary Colors