A Conversation for Mnemonics and Other Learning Devices
Colours of the Rainbow
Frankie Roberto Started conversation Aug 20, 2002
I always thought this was a bit stupid - as who says there are only 7 colours in the rainbow?
But one way to remember them, in their correct order, is to memorise the rainbow man's name: Roy G. Biv (strange name if you ask me).
Colours of the Rainbow
tom Posted Aug 20, 2002
Newton that's who
He did some early work on optics with a prism and had this idea that there was some harmony between the colours and the notes of the musical scale. That's why there are three blues and only one red.
Since Newton said it and he had the authority nobody's argued since
Colours of the Rainbow
Frankie Roberto Posted Aug 20, 2002
Well, some say there are three (red, blue, green) and some say there are six (those three plus magenta, cyan and the other one). Plus in painting you have red, yellow and blue as primary colours. It's all very confusing...
Colours of the Rainbow
tom Posted Aug 20, 2002
I get confused when I compare transmitted light (eg with theatre spotlights) and reflected light (eg with a paintbox).
I think that's where most folk get upset. We've all had a paintbox as kids and remember something of the colour wheel we got. Few of us get to play with theatre spotlights or had more than one torch at a time whose batteries worked 
The colour matches are not the same at all 
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Colours of the Rainbow
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