Question

Light shines on a picture of the subtractive color wheel. The light is a mixture of red, blue, and green light.

Part A—Which part of the color wheel will look blue? Explain in terms of absorbed and reflected light.
Part B—Which part of the color wheel will look yellow? Explain in terms of absorbed and reflected light.

A) 1. The yellow section of the wheel will look blue because it will reflect blue light and absorb red and green.
2. The blue section of the wheel will look yellow because it will reflect red and green light and absorb blue.

B) 1. The blue section of the wheel will look blue because it will absorb blue light and reflect red and green.
2. The yellow section of the wheel will look yellow because it will absorb red and green light and reflect blue.

C) 1. The yellow section of the wheel will look blue because it will absorb blue light and reflect red and green.
2. The blue section of the wheel will look yellow because it will absorb red and green light and reflect blue.

D) 1. The blue section of the wheel will look blue because it will reflect blue light and absorb red and green.
2. The yellow section of the wheel will look yellow because it will reflect red and green light and absorb blue.

Answer 1

The yellow section of the color wheel will look blue because it reflects red and green light and absorbs blue light. The blue section of the color wheel will look yellow because it reflects blue light and absorbs red and green light.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is option C:

Part A: The yellow section of the color wheel will look blue because it will absorb blue light and reflect red and green. When light shines on an object, the object appears to be the color of the light that is reflected. Since the yellow section absorbs blue light, only red and green light will be reflected, making it appear blue.

Part B: The blue section of the color wheel will look yellow because it will absorb red and green light and reflect blue. Similarly, the blue section absorbs the red and green light, causing only blue light to be reflected, making it appear yellow.