The Science of Pink

Did you know there is no pink in the light spectrum? That its a trick of the eyes?  I didn't until yesterday. Which I actually found somewhat comforting since I've really taken to the color pink of late, buying variations of it in fabric form.  My Goth alter-ego is crying a bit because it feels like I'm cheating on black. And red.

You know what though? Pink looks awesome with black.  But lets get back to the science of pink. Its not on  the light spectrum, its actually a trick your eyes play on you.





This is a great little one minute video that explains what I'm talking about. It sparked a somewhat interesting debate among science types in saying "pink is not a real color". Which its not, in the light spectrum. It does exist, however, as a pigment.  Popular Science has a very good article on that difference here.  The author, Rebecca Boyle, has this to say:

Thinking of pink the way we think of transmitted light is confusing, hence the controversy. Here's the thing: When you look at a pink object — that is to say, a thing that contains pigments or dyes which render it pink to light receptor cells in your eyes — you are not seeing pink wavelengths of light. An object appears pink because certain wavelengths of light are reflected, and others are absorbed, quenched, by the pigments. Pink is a reflective color, not a transmissive color — you can perceive it because your brain translates light bouncing off it. Color is a construct of our eyes and brains.

Cool, huh?  I love learning new things and this one (wait for it...) tickled me pink!  This pleases my inner geek in a way that makes me not feel so bad about falling in love with this color as an adult.