Why are color colors?

Colors are not inherently "colored". The colors we perceive are a result of the interaction between light and objects, and how our brains interpret those interactions.

When light hits an object, some of the light is absorbed by the object while some of it is reflected. The reflected light travels to our eyes, and the pigments in our retinas convert the light into electrical signals that are sent to our brains. Our brains then interpret these signals as colors.

The spectrum of light is continuous, ranging from long wavelengths that we see as red to short wavelengths that we see as violet. The color of an object depends on which wavelengths of light are reflected by the object and which wavelengths are absorbed.

For example, an apple looks red because it reflects red light and absorbs the other wavelengths of light in the spectrum. A banana looks yellow because it reflects yellow light and absorbs the other wavelengths of light in the spectrum.

Similarly, a blue object looks blue because it reflects blue light and absorbs the other wavelengths of light in the spectrum.