Red

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Red
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#FF0000
sRGBB	(r, g, b)	(255, 0, 0)
Source		HTML/CSS[1]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye. Red light has a wavelength range of roughly 625–750 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared, or below red and cannot be seen by human eyes. Red is associated with anger, death, blood, passion and love.

Red is used as one of the additive primary colors of light, complementary to cyan, in RGB color systems. It was once considered to be a subtractive primary color, and is still sometimes described as such in non-scientific literature; however, the colors cyan, magenta and yellow are now known to be a better set of subtractive primary colors, and are used in modern color printing.

One common use of red as an additive primary color is in the RGB color model. Because "red" is not by itself standardized, color mixtures based on red are not exact specifications of color either. In order to produce exact colors the color red needs to be defined in terms of an absolute color space such as sRGB. As used in computer monitors and television screens, red is very variable, but some systems may apply color correction (so that a standardized "red" is produced that is not in fact full intensity of only the red colorant). In HSV color space, red has a hue of 0° or 360°.

The web color Red is defined as #FF0000.

Contents 1 Red in other languages 2 Red in human culture 2.1 Accounting 2.2 Art 2.3 Astronomy 2.4 Cultural Symbolism 2.5 Biology 2.6 Ethnography 2.7 Film 2.8 Geography 2.9 Finance 2.10 Gangs 2.11 Hazard symbolism 2.12 Heraldry 2.13 Holidays 2.14 Literature (Science Fiction) 2.15 Medicine 2.16 Military 2.17 Music 2.18 Mythology 2.19 National Colors 2.20 New Age Philosophy 2.21 Ophthalmology 2.22 Philanthropy 2.23 Photography 2.24 Politics 2.25 Religion 2.26 Sexuality 2.27 Sports 2.28 Television 2.29 Transportation 3 Red pigments 4 See also 5 References 6 External links 7 Variations of Red

[edit] Red in other languages

Hungarian has two words for red, medium piros and dark vörös, which are distinct colors the way red and pink are distinct colors 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 Korean red is called 붉다 bookda and 빨갛다 bbalgata.

In Japanese there are two words for red, Aka (赤) and Beni (紅).

In most Slavic languages the word "red" derives from Polish cochineal.

In the Malay language, red is called merah.

In Spanish, red is "rojo" and in some places "colorado".

[edit] Red in human culture

[edit] Accounting

• Red ink is 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.

[edit] Art

• It is likely that Red ochre was the earliest pigment employed by late Archaic Homo sapiens when it was used by Cro-Magnons for their cave paintings.
• When red is mixed with blue it makes purple.
• In some art, interior design and fashion contexts, shades of red are described by reference to the colors 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 color for apples is a dark shade of red, the fruit is usually invoked in fashion or decorating to reference a pale yellowish green.

[edit] Astronomy

• In astronomy, stars of stellar class M (the stars with the coolest temperature) are classified as red stars.
• Mars is called the Red Planet because of the reddish color imparted to its surface by the abundant iron oxide present there.

[edit] Cultural Symbolism

• In ancient China, red was the symbol of fire and the south, and is one of the main five classical colors.
• In Chinese symbolism, red is the color of good luck and success, and is used for decoration and wedding attire (during the traditional half of the wedding ceremony, while the bridal attire in the modern half is usually white). 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.
• Red is considered holy in some parts of Sub-saharan Africa. In these regions women are forbidden to wear red clothes.

[edit] Biology

• 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] Ethnography

• Red Indians is a British term for Native Americans.
• Amerindians are sometimes called the red race.

[edit] Film

• A movie trailer which the MPAA has rated NC-17 has red color bars.
• Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless because he had tried to conquer Earth through biological warfare by infecting humans worldwide with a disease called The Red Death.
• Red Shoes is a popular 1948 movie about the ballet.
• Red Planet Mars is a 1952 science fiction film
• Red Planet is a 2000 science fiction film.

[edit] Geography

• Red or pink is traditionally used by cartographers to represent the British Empire.

[edit] Finance

• 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.

[edit] Gangs

• Red is the color claimed by the street gangs Bloods and Norteños.

[edit] Hazard 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 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.
  • Emergency exits on passenger aircraft and in general are indicated by red signs and lighting.
  • 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.

[edit] Heraldry

• 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 of the coat of arms of Ħamrun, Malta.

[edit] Holidays

• Red is one of the Christmas colors, along with green, gold, and silver. Santa Claus has a red costume.
• Red, as well as or in combination with the colors rose, pink, and/or magenta, symbolizes Valentine's Day.

[edit] Literature (Science Fiction)

• Red Planet is a 1949 science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein.

[edit] Medicine

• Red is the color of blood, and a Red Cross, Red Crescent or Red Crystal emblem signifies medical personnel, facilities, or equipment, according to the Geneva Conventions.
• Red is used to symbolize AIDS awareness or Drug awareness, in the form of a red ribbon.

[edit] Military

• Red is the color 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 color 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 color 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 color 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).
• 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.

[edit] Music

• In 1977, Sammy Hagar released his second solo album called Sammy Hagar, featuring his hit single Red. All the people on the album cover are dressed in red and surrounded by red objects. Sammy Hagar's nickname is The Red Rocker. [1]
• Little Red Rooster is a popular song by the Rolling Stones, which appears on their 1965 album The Rolling Stones, Now!. [2]
• Red is a Christian metal band from Nashville, Tennessee, signed to Essential Records. The band's first album, End of Silence (released June 6th, 2006), includes the singles "Breathe Into Me" and "Already Over."
• There are some artists who call themselves after the colour red, like Simply Red and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

[edit] Mythology

• 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.

[edit] National Colors

• Red is the national color of Wales.
• Red and black are the national colors of Albania, and along with golden, of Germany, Angola, and Belgium.
• Red and yellow are the national colors of China, and also of the dominant Han ethnic group.
• Red and yellow are the national colors of Spain.
• Red and white are the national colors of Canada.
• Red, white, and blue are the national colors of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Paraguay, Iceland, Panama, New Zealand, Russia, Cuba, Thailand, and Liberia.
• Australia has a red, white, and blue flag, but their national colors are green and gold.

[edit] New Age Philosophy

• In the metaphysics of the New Age Prophetess, Alice A. Bailey, in her system called the Seven Rays which classifies humans into seven different metaphysical personality types, the sixth ray of love-devotion is represented by the color red.
• Red is used to symbolically represent the first (Muladhara) chakra.
• Psychics who claim to be able to observe the aura with their third eye report that someone with a red aura is typically someone who is in an occupation requiring vibrant health and vigorous physical exertion, such as a professional sportsperson, a personal trainer, or a manual laborer. ^[2]

[edit] Ophthalmology

• Red light is used to preserve night vision in low-light or night-time situations, as the rod cells in the human eye aren't sensitive to red.
• People who smoke a lot of marijuana often illuminate their rooms while smoking it in red or orange light because Cannabis causes the pupils of the eye to dilate, making one uncomfortable in intense illumination.

[edit] Philanthropy

• The Product Red Campaign (also called Campaign Red) (styled (PRODUCT)^RED) is a for-profit brand which is licensed to various corporations which are thus afforded the opportunity to gain goodwill for themselves (as well as increasing their own revenue) by donating a percentage of their profits to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. ^[3]

[edit] Photography

• 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.

[edit] Politics

• Even before Europe's Revolutions of 1848, "Socialist" red was used as a color 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.
  • For instance the Civil War in Russia and the Civil War in Finland were fought between the "Red Army" and various "White Armies".
  • The identification of Communism with "Socialist" red (with the red flag being the primary color of the flag of the Soviet Union) and the red star being a Communist emblem led to such Cold War phrases as "the Red Menace" and "Red China" (distinguished from Nationalist China, "Free China," or Taiwan). See also The East is Red. Mao Zedong was sometimes referred to as a "red sun". The color was also associated with political vehicles such as the Red Guard in China and the Red Guards during the Russian Revolution of 1917 as well as with left wing paramilitary terrorist groups such as the Red Army Faction in Germany and the Japanese Red Army.
• Red remains associated with parties on the left of the political spectrum, with several notable exceptions (see "Political Parties" below)
• Red and black are colors associated with anarchism, and, specifically, anarcho-syndicalism.
• In maps of political parties, red is traditionally used for the following parties:
  • Australia: Labor
  • Brazil: Workers' Party
  • Canada: Liberal Party of Canada
  • Finland: Social Democratic Party of Finland
  • Germany: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic party of Germany) and Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (Party of Democratic Socialism)
  • Italy: Partito della Rifondazione Comunista and Partito dei Comunisti Italiani
  • Malta: Malta Labour Party
  • New Zealand: New Zealand Labour Party
  • The Netherlands: Partij van de Arbeid (Social Democratic party), Socialistische Partij (Socialist Party)
  • Portugal: Portuguese Communist Party (and the Unitarian Democratic Coalition, of which the PCP is part of)
  • Paraguay: Colorado Party
  • Sweden: Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Left Party (Sweden)
  • United Kingdom: Labour Party
  • United States: Republican Party, since the 2000 presidential election, when contrasted with blue representing Democratic Party.

[edit] Religion

• 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 color of fire and so may symbolize the presence of God. It is the liturgical color for Pentecost. It is also considered the color 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 also represents the deadly sin Wrath. Satan is usually depicted as colored red and/or wearing a red costume in both religious iconography and popular culture.

[edit] Sexuality

• A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution and other businesses in the sex industry flourish. Many prostitutes and brothels have red lights shining in their windows to signify the nature of their business.^{[citation needed]}
• In Wales, in Welsh, a blue movie (i.e. a pornographic film) is called a ffilm goch (a red movie).

[edit] Sports

• Rosso corsa is the traditional color of Italian race cars.
• In Association football (soccer), the referee shows a red card to a player who is being sent-off the pitch.
• Red is - along with white - a national color of Poland, and features heavily on sporting uniforms of Polish representative teams and athletes.

[edit] Television

• In the TV show Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969), the engineering (notably Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott) and security personnel of the crew of the Starship Enterprise wear red Starfleet uniforms. (See: redshirt)
• In the TV show Power Rangers and its Japanese counterpart, Super Sentai, red is one of the colors that is always worn by a Power Ranger or a Super Sentai member. The others are blue and yellow in Power Rangers, and blue in Super Sentai. Red rangers are usually the leaders, and they're always the focus characters.

[edit] Transportation

• Red is used on railway signals, traffic signals, and ship signals for stop or danger.
• The Royal Mail paints their vehicles red.
• London Underground trains have red warning panels on the fronts, unlike mainline trains, which have yellow fronts.
• Red is generally used for notices and warning signs.
• Fire trucks in the most of the larger United States cities are fire engine red.

[edit] Red pigments

• Alizarin
• Carmine
• Deep Red
• Indian red
• Red lead
• Red ochre
• Vermilion
• Mercury oxide

[edit] See also

• List of colors

v • d • e The Electromagnetic Spectrum
(Sorted by wavelength, short to long) Gamma ray • X-ray • Ultraviolet • Visible spectrum • Infrared • Terahertz radiation • Microwave • Radio waves
Visible (optical) spectrum	Violet • Blue • Green • Yellow • Orange • Red
Microwave spectrum	W band • V band • K band: Ka band, Ku band • X band • C band • S band • L band
Radio spectrum	EHF • SHF • UHF • VHF • HF • MF • LF • VLF • ULF • SLF • ELF
Wavelength designations	Microwave • Shortwave • Mediumwave • Longwave

[edit] References

1. ^ W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, HTML4 color keywords
2. ^ Swami Panchadasi The Human Aura: Astral Colors and Thought Forms Des Plaines, Illinois, USA:1912--Yogi Publications Society Page 31
3. ^ Global Business Coalition (2006, January 27). Ethical shopping: The Red Revolution. Retrieved January 04, 2007, from businessfightsaids.org

[edit] External links

• All About The Color Red

[edit] Variations of Red

					Shades of red
Alizarin	Amaranth	Burgundy	Cardinal	Carmine	Cerise	Chestnut	Coral Red	Crimson	Dark Pink	Falu red	Fire engine red
Fuchsia	Girlsnberry	Hollywood Cerise	Magenta	Maroon	Mauve	Persian red	Pink	Pomegranate	Red	Red-violet	Rose
Rust	Puce	Sangria	Scarlet	Shocking Pink	Terra cotta	Venetian red	Vermilion