How I hate thee....

Then, if we are able to mix paints and then approach what nearly everyone would accept in passing as black - just what is it?

Then, if we are able to mix paints and then approach what nearly everyone would accept in passing as black - just what is it?

A shade. Because the only was to mix paints to get black is using shades. Otherwise you'll get brown basically.

Black is actually a shade and not a color.

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, lemme explain what you probably already know, and something I learned in the 3rd grade. There really isn't anything that's color. Objects, dependent upon their chemical and physical make-up, absorb certain frequencies of light and reflect others within the spectrum. So grass isn't really green. It's just absorbing all other frequencies of light except for those that reflect a 'green' illumination. The sky isn't really blue, it's just that's the only frequency of light that's not absorbed by the atmosphere that our eyes can see.

So what Mep is saying is true. Black is not a color, it is, in fact, the absense of reflected light.

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, lemme explain what you probably already know, and something I learned in the 3rd grade. There really isn't anything that's color. Objects, dependent upon their chemical and physical make-up, absorb certain frequencies of light and reflect others within the spectrum. So grass isn't really green. It's just absorbing all other frequencies of light except for those that reflect a 'green' illumination. The sky isn't really blue, it's just that's the only frequency of light that's not absorbed by the atmosphere that our eyes can see.

So what Mep is saying is true. Black is not a color, it is, in fact, the absense of reflected light.

Aye, your third grade and my physics classes back when I was a physics major. =P

Physics says black is not a color. And I completely agree that it is the absense of reflected light in this sense.

But conventionally, we accept that 'black' is a color. Black car, a black cat, a black computer case that looks super sweet with blue LEDs. Black is a crayon color. This sense is the art sense.

The difference here is art vs physics in definition.

Physics says that lightsabers cannot have a blade that is black because black is the absense of light.

Art would say that if you mix colors or shades or pigments you could possibly make the appearance of black. Does this mean that one could have a lightsaber that would appear black from a distance but actually not be so? I say yes.

Artistically speaking, you combine pigments of paint, or whatever medium you choose, and create black. But from what I'm reading, those who use this arguement actually have it backwards. You're not mixing these different pigments for their light reflective qualities. You're in fact combining them for their light absorbtion qualities. When you mix red with blue, you get purple. However, if you'll notice when you mix the same shades of these two coors, you get a darker pigment. That's because you've not only created a compound capable of reflecting blue and red at the same time, you're also absorbing these two spectrums based upon each individuals innate qualities. What you're doing when you're mixing these pigments is cancelling each other out until very little of the spectrum is being reflected.

Now, in regards to the arguement of whether or not it's possible to have a black lightsaber blade. According to descriptions of this admittedly fictitious weapon, it's emitting a blade of energy hot enough to cut through most any material, and thus it will glow with this intense energy. Something that is black is absorbing energy, and not emitting it. So a black blade could not be a 'lightsaber' because it would have to be absorbing energy and light instead of pushing it out. So what would happen is, theoretically speaking, if a blue saber and a 'black' saber were to cross, the blue lightsaber would be absorbed, at least partially, instead of being repelled by the 'black' blade. So instead of the 'black' blade stopping the blue blade, the blue one would simply pass right through.

It would be like a magnet for light and energy instead of being something that would act as a light-emitting weapon, as the description of a lightsaber entails.

So, under the current proposal that I had: A lights saber crystal that reflected a wide variety of colors would actually have an invisible blade? rather than a black appearance?

Artistically and sci-fi-entifically you can explain black however you want. Hanak, in the context of the Star Wars Universe, I would support your lightsaber color (lack of color) and however you explain it. Just as long as you are not trying to argue that you could make a 'real lightsaber' that does that in 'real life' =P

Good point!

I just wish we could make them in real life.

So, under the current proposal that I had: A lights saber crystal that reflected a wide variety of colors would actually have an invisible blade? rather than a black appearance?

Yes... if you reflect black as light you would see nothing it would be like the invincible blade... and people would be thinking why is he waving that hilt around when the blade is not ignited and think one is crazy.

If you mixed different crystals you end up with a white light saber just how your monitor produces white from a combo of red green and blue transmitted light.

You could have a fully functional "light" saber that can not be seen by the human eye by simply having it emitt light not in the visual spectrum.

If you mixed different crystals you end up with a white light saber just how your monitor produces white from a combo of red green and blue transmitted light.

You could have a fully functional "light" saber that can not be seen by the human eye by simply having it emitt light not in the visual spectrum.

In which would not be good for your allies since they cannot react out from where you blade on and you could end up doing friendly fire in the most severe ways.

Well since we are just bullshitting here, you let your friends know through the midichorlinians force crap where the blade is. A lot to be said about not having your enemies not knowing where your blade is or where the attack will come from. There is also a lot to be said about you knowing where your blade is and keeping the boys home and safe.

There is also a lot to be said about you knowing where your blade is and keeping the boys home and safe.

Jedi shouldn't need the boys, anyways...

All the guys need 'the boys', JC ;p