Re: FN-FORUM: [OT] Red fluorescent light

date posted 1st December 2003 20:27


> Danny Leonard wrote:
>
>> Should be red as white refelcts all colours in the spectrum.
>>
> Nick B wrote:
>
> hmm but is it that simple - white can reflect purple under UV..
>
>

...and purple is the only part of UV light that is in the visible (to
humans) spectrum. Radiation comes in all sorts of frequencies, from long
radiowaves , where the wavelength is usually specified in meters,
centimeters, or millimeters. In the case of infrared, visible light,
ultraviolet, and gamma radiation, the wavelength is more often specified
in nanometers (units of 10-9 meter) or Angstrom units (units of 10-10
meter).
So, we can only see a tiny bit of the whole spectrum - other animals can
see other parts, but we rely on electro-mechanical devices to enhance or
make useful, the majority of radiation.

As to the original question, I'd say Danny is probably correct - unlike
my daughter would have you believe, they don't generally set trick
questions at school ;-)

Paul.