All of the following statements are true about color EXCEPT:

• A. It is a phenomenon of light
• B. It is a group of electromagnetic waves
• C. It can be seen if wavelengths are reflected off an object
• D. It does not depend on the presence of light

Answer: (D)

Color is tied to light and how our eyes perceive it. It arises from the wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum. When light hits an object, the object may absorb some wavelengths and reflect others; the reflected wavelengths are what we see as color. Because color relies on light traveling to and being detected by our eyes, the first three statements are true: color is a phenomenon of light, it corresponds to a range of electromagnetic waves, and we see it when wavelengths are reflected off an object. The statement that color does not depend on the presence of light isn’t correct—without light, there’s nothing for our eyes to detect, so we can’t perceive color. In dim or different lighting, colors can look different because the light source alters which wavelengths are available to reflect.