I always learned “ROYGBIV” as the colors of the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, violet.

What’s up with the last two? Isn’t indigo basically just dark blue? Why is it violet and not purple? Can’t it just be “ROYGBP”?

  • mookulatorOP
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    101 year ago

    Well yeah. I guess my question should be “why do we learn indigo and violet when we learn about the rainbow”. It’s more cultural

    • Yes, exactly.

      E.g. in Germany I don’t have heard anyone using Indigo and Purpur as major colours but only in combination with blue : “Purpurblau” and “Indigoblau” describing certain forms of blue.

      So only blue and violet in german rainbows. And ultraviolet because most of us are more engineer than poet nowadays ;-)