What color is nothing

Question

if there was nothing, what color would it be? seriously ponder this one.

Answer 1

Actually, the color that you see is color reflected back from something.  If there is nothing there, as in empty space, it will not reflect any color, so it will appear black.

Answer 2

white isn't a color so it'd be white

Answer 3

A color contains of SOMETHING. Therefore 'nothing' has no such color.

Answer 4

black or white

Answer 5

We would see black, which results from a total lack of photons. This makes sense cuz when we look at a very empty piece of space (which means no photons are in that section of space are heading into our eye) we notice....blackness.

From a neuro physiological point of view, in your though problem there is no photon out there to strike the light receptors of the eye and will register in as black.

Know that color is essentialy and object reflecting photons of a certain frequency. Nothing means no photon means total black. Just empty space through which particles can pass thru.

So..we would see a deep deep deep black.

hope that helps.

Answer 6

the colour of nothing is when there is no light to reflect off it

no light no colour  

Answer 7

I'm going with deep chartreuse

or perhaps  burnt umber...  I never really trusted that color

Answer 8

Before I answer your question, I would like to clear something up.  "Jack" wrote that white isn't a color...so "nothing" would be white (I'm paraphrasing...stay with me). That is quite incorrect. White is the combination of all the colors...Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet..etc. White is very much a color, it is the addition of all the colors! I think what he means to say is black. By definition if something is black, it is absent of color. So something not giving off any color...as 'nothing' would be...would be black in his argument.

Now, more towards your question. Let's think of the most basic understanding of color. At the simplest level, color corresponds to a particular wavelength of light. Red light is a certain wavelength, and blue light is a another (different) wavelength. In fact, Red light is larger than blue light...our eyes and brain interpret that. Light is given off (or reflected) by objects...obviously.

So if you have "nothing", than there isn't anything to emit light...so how could you possibly name a color for it? It can't be blue, or yellow, or gamma rays or X rays or anything, because there is "nothing" to emit or reflect light.  So the answer would have be black. Like i said, black is defined as the absence of color. So if there is nothing...therefore there is no light being emitted, therefore no color, therefore it must be black.

Of course, "nothing" is infinitesimal in size, it's not like you would see just a giant blob of black. That is why it's hard to imagine any sort of color or shade...it isn't big enough to see...it's not a size at all!

A very interesting question!

Answer 9

      The abstract idea of what you are trying to perceive is a paradox in and of itself. The color of "nothing" is in fact nothing. It wouldn't be a color. But if you are talking about within the universe, nothing is entirely black. A lot of people think clear is nothing, but that is not true for if you can see through the color then there is light rushing through it. Light is something, so therefore black would represent nothing. But of course, due to radio waves and other things beyond our ability to understand, we know that is not always true.  

Answer 10

um.. clear?

Or white.. white is when the light doesnt relflect anything..

Black is when the light relfects all colors

Answer 11

Only a blind person can answer that question.

Answer 12

its ironic but all the colors put together equals nothing

Answer 13

7.

Answer 14

No light is black.  

Answer 15

Color is a wave-LENGTH of electromagnetic radiation. Radiation can only occur in time and space. (Or else where and when would it radiate? Electromagnetic radiation is light/energy. Matter is light/energy stored.

"IF" No-"thing" could exist if it WAS it might be NO color (no color we know) because if it radiated any energy we could detect it. Possibly a whole new "reality/unreality". Or maybe it's just a "color"  (wavelength) we have not been able to detect yet, so we'd need a whole new name for it. Fred maybe or Cecilia.

Sounds like dark "matter". We can't "see" it but we might detect it's effects on mundane, visible matter. It's said to be like nothing we'ver ever seen or known.



A real "pretzel brain" question!

Answer 16

We have some very interesting answers already, but 1 issue with facts that are correct, but possibly confusing.

In light, white is the accumlation of all colors, and black is the abscence of all color.  If you see something as white, it is shining or reflecting ALL visible spectrum color equally.  If you see something as black, the reverse is true.

In pigment, however, the exact opposite is what it going on.  You create a black pigment by mixing all color, and a white one by removing all color.  

I think this is why we have so many answers that say either "white" or "black" with conflicting evidence to support their answers.