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RED
- For other uses, see Red (disambiguation).
| Red |
| — Color coordinates — |
| Hex triplet |
#FF0000 |
| RGBa |
(r, g, b) |
(255, 0, 0) |
| HSV |
(h, s, v) |
(0°, 100%, 100%) |
| a: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
Red may be any of a number of similar colours at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. Red is one of the three primary colours of visible light, the others being yellow and blue. Red light has a wavelength range of roughly 625–760 nm. Frequencies lower than this are called infrared, or below red and cannot be seen by human eyes, although some infrared frequencies can be felt as heat.
Red is an additive primary colour of light, complementary to cyan. It was once considered to be a subtractive primary color, and is still sometimes erroneously described as such in non-scientific literature; however, the colors cyan, magenta and yellow are now known to be closer to the true subtractive primary colors detected by the eye, and are used in modern color printing.
One common use of red as an additive primary colour is in the RGB colour model. Because "red" is not by itself standardised, colour mixtures based on red are not exact specifications of colour either. In order to produce exact colors the colour red needs to be defined in terms of an absolute colour space such as sRGB. As used in computer monitors and television screens, red is very variable, but some systems may apply colour correction (so that a standardised "red" is produced that is not in fact full intensity of only the red colourant). In HSV colour space, red has a hue of 0° or 360°.
[edit] Red in culture
[edit] Symbolism
- Red catches people's attention, and is often used to indicate danger or emergency.
- Red symbolizes heat and fire. Taps for hot water are often labeled red. Red is commonly the color of fire alarm boxes, fire extinguishers, and the firefighter profession itself.
- Red denotes "stop" in, for instance, stop signs, traffic signals, brake lights, or the flashing lights of a school bus.
- Red is the color of blood, and a Red Cross, Red Crescent or Red Crystal emblem signifies medical personnel, facilities, or equipment, or the Geneva Conventions.
- Red indicates extreme danger on Western color-coded scales, such as wildfire hazard signs or the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory System. It also denotes the maximum level of danger and preparedness as in the phrases condition red and red alert.
- In auto racing, a red flag signals all cars to immediately stop.
- The redline is the maximum speed an engine and its components can safely run.
- Emergency exits on passenger aircraft are indicated by red signs and lighting.
- "Redlining" is delineating a forbidden area (as on a map), for instance where a company denies or increases the cost of services, and is illegal in various circumstances in the U.S.
- With ships on collision courses, the ship on starboard tack sees the Green for Go light on the ship on port tack, while the ship on port tack sees the Red for Stop light on the ship on starboard tack.
- Rosso corsa is the traditional color of Italian race cars.
- Being the color of blood, red was associated in Roman mythology with the god of war, Mars, and the reddish planet Mars became named after him. The phrase "red-blooded" describes someone who is audacious, robust, or virile; it is sometimes used to contrast with a cold or effete "blue blood" although the terms are unrelated in origin.
- Red is the colour of the passion (emotion), romance and sex, (because of its association with blood, which is responsible for arousal) thus the red of a Valentine heart and of a "red-light district". It also represents the female menstrual cycle and therefore maturity and sexuality. Paradoxically, it also denotes anger, as in the expression seeing red, or embarrassment, as in being red-faced (many of these effects themselves caused by the blood rushing to the brain from adrenaline).
- In ancient China, red was the symbol of fire and the south, and is one of the main five classical colors.
- Red is the symbolic colour of the Han Chinese people, China's majority ethnic group. The literal meaning of the name of the first historic Chinese dynasty is "blood red" (Yin, 殷).
- In Chinese symbolism, red is the colour of good luck and success, and is used for decoration and wedding attire (during the traditional half of the wedding ceremony). Money in Chinese societies is traditionally given in red packets. Stock market gains in China and other East Asian countries are displayed in red, while losses are displayed in green.
- In the FIFA World Cup, red is the colour of victory in South Korea.
- In East Asian countries, the names of the deceased are written in red ink in a Book of the Dead. To write a living person's name with red ink is taboo, tantamount to placing a curse on the person
- In Christianity, red represents the colour of fire and so symbolizes the presence of God. It is the liturgical color for Pentecost. It is also considered the colour of the Roman Catholic Church, since red can also symbolize the blood of martyrs. It is sometimes used for Holy Thursday and during Eastertide. In Roman Catholic tradition it is used for Palm Sunday in anticipation of the death of Jesus.
- Red is considered holy in some parts of sub-sahara Africa. In these regions women are forbidden to wear red clothes.
- Before the French revolution red was the colour of the flag signifying the imposition of martial law.
- Red is one of the Christmas colors, with green, white, or both.
- Red, along with yellow and orange, is thought to provoke hunger, hence its use in logos by food vendors.
- Red ink is also used to denote debt - as well as losses on a balance sheet (hence the phrase, "in the red" usually indicates economic losses). This usually does not apply in East Asia.
- In North American stock markets, red is used to denote a drop in stock prices. In East Asian stock markets, red is used to denote a rise in stock prices.
- In Association football (soccer), the referee shows a Red card (sports) to a player who is being sent-off the pitch.
- Red can sometimes symbolize evil in any kind of work that involves a villain because Satan is often depicted as wearing a red costume.
- In English heraldry, red (called gules) denoted ardent affection or love, while crimson (blood-color) stood for boldness, enthusiasm, or impetuosity. (The American Girls Handy Book, p. 369-370)
- Red is the color claimed by the street gangs Bloods and Norteños.
- Red is an album by progressive rock band King Crimson.
- The 1977 album by Sammy Hagar called Sammy Hagar and featuring his hit song Red shows Sammy Hagar dressed in red surrounded by people dressed in red, red cars, and red buildings. One of his nicknames is "The Red Rocker".
- In the handkerchief code of the gay leather subculture, wearing a red bandana indicates one is into fisting.
- Red is the colour of the lowest-value balls in snooker. There are 15 at the beginning of a game, each worth 1 point.
- Red Indians is a British term for Native Americans.
- Red can also refer to red people or the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
[edit] Military and politics
- Red is the colour often used for the Ancient Roman Empire. It has been said that Roman officers would wear red so that if they were wounded, it would not discourage their troops nearby.
- In the history of Japan red is the colour of military flags used by the Heike (or Taira) clan and of the Genji (or Minamoto) clan, two clans that struggled for power at the close of the Heian era, in the late 12th century.
- In the United States Army, red is the colour of the artillery and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Brick red is the color of the United States Army Transportation Corps, while crimson is the color of the Ordnance Corps, and Maroon is that of the Medical Corps.
- In the Finnish Army, red is the colour of artillery. Black symbols on a red field signify field artillery, white symbols signify anti-aircraft artillery.
- Red is the color commonly associated with the British and British Army (e.g., Redcoats) and is also used to describe someone of British nationality.
- Red, in wargaming is depicted as a hostile force; originating from Helmut von Moltke. Blue would represent friendly forces, thus the phrase blue on blue fire comes to mean friendly fire.
- Beginning with the Revolution of 1848, "Socialist" red was used as a colour of European Revolutionaries, often in the form of the red flag. It was also used by Garibaldi's camicie rosse ("redshirts") in the Italian Risorgimento, and taken up by Leftist and generally revolutionary groups, while the white of legitimist Bourbon partisans became associated with pre-World War I conservatives. This relates to the term "Blood of the workers", representing the suffering of the proletariat.
- Red is the national colour of Wales
- Red is the colour of the coat of arms of Ħamrun, Malta.
- Red is - along with white - a national colour of Poland, and features heavily on sporting uniforms of Polish representative teams and athletes.
- Red and black are colours associated with anarchism, and, specifically, anarcho-syndicalism.
- Red and black are also the national colours of Angola.
- In maps of political parties, red is traditionally used for the following parties:
- In the United States wearing red clothing is promoted by some groups to symbolize support for or opposition against the Iraq War, or to spread awareness about heart disease. See: Red Friday
- Red is also used to symbolize AIDS awareness or Drug awareness, in the form of a red ribbon
[edit] Science, technology and computing
- Red is the color used for critical or important systems (such as emergency lighting) that operate in low-light or night-time conditions, as rod cells in the human eye do not respond to it and therefore does not interfere in the eye's ability to focus in dim environments.
- A red filter used in black and white photography increases contrast in most scenes. For example, combined with a polarizer, it can turn the sky black. Films simulating the effects of infrared film (such as Ilford's SFX 200) do so by being much more sensitive to red than to other colors.
- Oxygenated blood is red due to the presence of oxygenated hemoglobin.
- Red light is the first to be absorbed by sea water, so that many fish and marine invertebrates that appear bright red are black in their native habitat.
[edit] Variations
[edit] In fiction
[edit] In other languages
Hungarian has two words for red, medium piros and dark vörös, which are distinct colours the way red and pink are distinct colours in English.
In Turkish there are numerous words for red: Al generally refers to the color of blood and related things (blushing, Turkish flag); Kızıl is bright red, and generally refers to fire or rebellion (sunset, communist). Kırmızı is a more general word for red, without strong emotional meaning.
In some decorating and fashion contexts, shades of red are described by reference to the colours of fruits and vegetables that commonly match that shade. These include cherries, beets, turnips, strawberries (often used in referring to "strawberry blonde" hair), and raspberries (as referenced in the Prince song "Raspberry Beret"). While the most popular colour for apples is a dark shade of red, the fruit is usually invoked in fashion or decorating to reference a pale yellowish green.
In Welsh a "blue" movie (i.e. pornographic) is called a ffilm goch (a red movie).
The Spanish word for "Red" is "Rojo."
[edit] Red pigments
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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