Is black a color?

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This is a place to continue the argument that started here:

https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/motion-yoyo-update-5-30-2024-harmonic-returns/353881/289

Physics says no. Artists say yes.

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Colors have hue, saturation, and brightness values. Achromatic colors like black, white, and gray merely have zero saturation and an undefined hue, and are only defined by their luminance (brightness) value. But they are still “colors” by standard definition.

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Black color is not the absence of all light reaching you. We dont have materials that absorb a 100% light. So a black yoyo just reduces the amount of the light spectrum getting to your eye.

I think you dim white to a high degree and you get black color. White is a color right? Then I propose black is too.

Especially in the context of yoyos.

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We can come very close:

We perceive an object that absorbs 99.965% of light to be the “color” black.

Every other color can be defined by wavelengths of light that are NOT absorbed.

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I use the forum on dark mode. If you asked me what color the background of the forum is, my answer would be black. Black is a color.

I mean sure, if we want to get technical and sciency, no it’s not a color, but in 99/100 contextual scenarios, it is.

Language is such a silly, inadequate tool. We’re just arguing semantics here, right?

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Color is a made up word…

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Word is a made up word. Everything any of us have ever said or even thought is made up, if you think about it.

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I’m way too sober for this conversation

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Standard definitions to the rescue. Learn them, agree upon them, and then have conversations about things. Talking about something without first agreeing on definitions is rather pointless.

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Technically yes. Black is not a lack of light, yet just a color that doesn’t absorb it.

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Blam, then Black is a color based on dictionary.com :laughing:

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In most applications, black still reflects some light and some chromaticity. That’s why you’ll find most gray/black pigments categorized as “cool”, “warm”, “neutral”, “tone”, etc. We actually have lots of different “blacks” in the products we use, be they shirts, cars, or yoyos. So while absolute black would be defined as a surface that reflects zero visible light (or a space which contains absolutely no photons in the visible spectrum), in the every-day world that we experience, black is just a very, very dark red, green, blue, or gray (or combination thereof). But still a color, by definition.

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Yay! We solved it!

Now… is a Hot Dog a Sandwich? :thinking:

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If you try to buy only black yo-yos then your wife won’t know how many you have.
True story.

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If black is not a color then …what color is black yo-yo ?

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lol yeah only buy Vantablack and camo yoyos so she can’t see them.

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This is an interesting subject for nor the reason because of the futility and worthlessness of wrestling to a final Definitive answer.

Considering, on average, how many words that I can use to overexplain something, I’m gonna shorten this up a little bit because over explanation is not necessary. It’s kind of useless.

But here’s a short on what I think

When I started painting cars over a half a century ago, I would try to find schedules from the various auto paint companies that gave lectures on the subject of car painting. It almost never failed during a part of these presentations, when they would talk about various car colors, some genius would say black is not a color. Black is the absence of color. And white is a shade of gray.

Obviously, over half a century ago when I was a teenager, Thereabouts, I had a very low tolerance for worthless information. Whoever else was in attendance, would just sit there silently. I would put my hand up in the speaker would ask you have a question? So… you are saying from some scientific point of view that technically black is ‘not’ considered an actual color? The reply was, ‘that is correct’.

But, in an Earth based, logically functional perspective, in pretty much close to 100 percent of instances, ‘black’ is used to describe an available option:
…The New truck is available this year in 17 colors, including black.
…Our 100 percent T shirts are available in the following colors: blue, red, green beige, white, teal and black.
…The Steel toe work boots we sell, only come in black and brown.
……> infinity….

I have never heard any Seller of goods say, ‘Our product is available in 29 colors…… and black.

If a product has black as an option/choice, it is identified as just that… black.

Uh, does it come in black? Why, yes it does… and seven other colors.

It goes without saying that we would not be anywhere near where we are today without science. But a technical conclusion the definition of ‘a color’, has no real usefulness within the general population of the product buying public.

Oh, by the way, I almost forgot… I have a yo-yo for sale. It’s colorless.

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What about contrast and adding a small amount of blue to white paint so it looks more white?

Beauty is in the rods and cones of the beholder’s eyes…

Personally, I like a shiny black throw. My favorite guitar is Texas Tea black. :wink:

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I was sober last night, but I found myself in this situation:

after reading the post claiming that black has a wavelength:

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All that to say you have a white yoyo? :roll_eyes: