Understanding Color Absorption with Incandescent Bulbs and Green Acetate Papers

Explanation:

The student has asked about the colors that were missing when using an incandescent bulb with green acetate papers. When an incandescent bulb, which emits a full spectrum of visible light somewhat akin to natural light, is viewed through green acetate paper, only the green part of the spectrum is transmitted; the other colors are absorbed. This means that colors like red, blue, and any colors that do not contain green are missing from the light that passes through the green filter.

This concept relates to the ideas of color subtraction and the color mixing behavior of light. Since incandescent light contains all the colors of the spectrum, placing a colored filter like green in front will absorb all colors except green. Colors such as red and blue are absorbed by the filter and are therefore not seen. Thus, using a green filter diminishes the vibrancy of the incandescent light by filtering out most of the spectrum, leaving a largely monochromatic green hue.