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Is Black technically a colour?

How can Black be considered a colour if it is the complete absence of light? I was taught in school that Black is not a colour as it does not reflect any wavelength of light. I suppose it all comes down to the definition of the word "Colour/Color". --212.159.114.107 (talk) 22:09, 3 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Colour/Color? That's variations of English, not two diffrent words. סשס Grimmchild. He/him, probably 12:12, 27 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Black is not a color. The premise of this entire article is wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alec935 (talk • contribs) 07:38, 19 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What color are your shoes? What color is the night sky? in common usage, of course black is a color, like white and gray. Please look in a dictionary. Cordially, SiefkinDR (talk) 12:29, 19 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In Art, black is a medium. Devoid of light. It is not a colour. My art teacher told me that in 1984. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.152.117.119 (talk) 06:57, 3 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

nobody cares about your washed out elementary school art teacher 173.31.95.118 (talk) 21:30, 23 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

WP:SISTERMARYCATHERINE. Your teacher is not reliable. סשס Grimmchild. He/him, probably 18:47, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Because it absorbs light Aly14328 (talk) 23:07, 15 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yes it can Aly14328 (talk) 23:07, 15 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Black is a color. A color is a perception of our brain, not an entirely physical fenomenon. Light and its different wavelengths are just part of what makes a color. That's why magenta, black, white, grey, brown, and other wrongly called "non-existent colors" are, actually, colors. 8-leaf clover (talk) 18:02, 26 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

It's also important to remember that black is not the absence of color (because it is a color), black is the color produced by the perception of the absence of light. 8-leaf clover (talk) 18:13, 26 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Those pointing out that black is not a color are from a scientific point of view correct; it is a well-known fact in Physics that black is indeed not a color; I quote:

"Black and White are NOT colors

● In Physics, black and white are not considered as colors. As both black and white don’t have any specific wavelength, they cannot be considered as colors. White is the combination of all wavelengths of visible light, while black is the absence of visible light. In physics, color is nothing but a wavelength of visible light. Thus, black and white are not colors.

● Black is like the absence of colors and white is the combination of all the colors of the visible spectrum. The image shown below is a prism. When white light passes through it, it disperses into lights of the colors of the rainbow, which goes on to prove that white light is made of different wavelengths. Thus, if you ask a scientist if black and white are colors, the answer will be no.''"

Links: https://sciencestruck.com/are-black-white-considered-as-colors

https://education.seattlepi.com/not-list-black-white-colors-physics-3426.html

So, as explained above; scientifically speaking, black is the very "opposite" of a color as it does not have a wavelength and lacks light. Just because it can be seen in a night sky, as someone above stated, does not make it a color. Neither is white considered a color as it does not constitute a specific wavelength, although it differs from black in that it instead constitutes the combination of all the wavelengths instead of the lack of them.

Emotionally and for the sake of simplicity one can of course consider black a color, but not scientifically.

Okama-San (talk) 00:11, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The broad term "black" is used in a variety of contexts, as you indicate, including scientifically. I'm not sure what improvement could be suggested here, as the article treats all the contexts in comprehensive detail. _signed,Willondon (talk) 19:06, 6 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]