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Red may be any of a number of similar colors at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. Red is one of the three primary colors of visible light, the others being green and blue. Red light has a wavelength range of roughly 625–760 nm. Frequencies lower than this are called infrared, or below red and cannot be seen by human eyes, although some infrared frequencies can be felt as heat.
Red is an additive primary color of light, complementary to cyan. It was once considered to be a subtractive primary color, and is still sometimes erroneously described as such in non-scientific literature; however, the colors cyan, magenta and yellow are now known to be closer to the true subtractive primary colors detected by the eye, 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 standardised, 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 standardised "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°.
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Symbolism
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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.
The redline is the maximum speed an engine and its components can safely run.
Emergency exits on passenger aircraft are indicated by red signs and lighting.
"Redlining" is delineating a forbidden area (as on a map), for instance where a company denies or increases the cost of services, and is illegal in various circumstances in the U.S.
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.
Being the color of blood, 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.
Red is the color of the passion (emotion), romance and sex, (because of its association with blood, which is responsible for arousal) thus the red of a Valentine heart and of a "red-light district". It also represents the female menstrual cylce and therefore maturity and sexuality. Paradoxically, it also denotes anger, as in the expression seeing red, or embarrassment, as in being red-faced (many of these effects themselves caused by the blood rushing to the brain from adrenaline).
Red is considered holy in some parts of sub-sahara Africa. In these regions women are forbidden to wear red clothes.
In ancient China, red was the symbol of South and Fire, one of the main five colors.
In Chinese symbolism, red is the color of good luck and is used for decoration and wedding attire. Money in Chinese societies is traditionally given in red packets.
Red, along with yellow and orange, is thought to provoke hunger, hence its use in logos by food vendors.
Red ink is also used to denote debt - as well as losses on a balance sheet (hence the phrase, "in the red" usually indicates economic losses).
Red can sometimes symbolize evil in any kind of work that involves a villain because Satan is often depicted as wearing a red costume.
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)
The 1977 album by Sammy Hagar called Sammy Hagar and featuring his hit song Red shows Sammy Hagar dressed in red surrounded by people dressed in red, red cars, and red buildings.
Red is the color of the lowest-value balls in snooker. There are 15 at the beginning of a game, each worth 1 point. and lalala
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Military and politics
Red remains associated with parties on the left of the political spectrum, with several notable exceptions (see "Political Parties" below)
Red is the national colour of Wales
Red is the color commonly associated with the British Army (e.g., Redcoats) and is also used to describe someone of British nationality.
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 wearing red clothing is promoted by some groups to symbolize support for or opposition against the Iraq War, or to spread awareness about heart disease. See: Red Friday
Red is also used to symbolize AIDS awareness or Drug awareness, in the form of a red ribbon
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Science, technology and computing
Red is the color used for critical or important systems (such as emergency lighting) that operate in low-light or night-time conditions, as rod cells in the human eye do not respond to it and therefore does not interfere in the eye's ability to focus in dim environments.
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.
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.
In Finland, bright red is the "color of technology". It is seen in TKY regalia; also, the student union of chemical engineering has bright red as its distinctive color. Its use is traditional, tracing its history back into the 19th century. It probably originated from the red insignia identifying artillery.
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Variations
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In fiction
In the Power Rangers and Super Sentai series, the Red Ranger is usually the leader of the team, and always the most powerful member. Most Red Rangers in Power Rangers and all Red Warriors in Super Sentai have been male, but there has been an exception in Power Rangers: SPD.
In the Star Wars universe, red is traditionally (although not always in the Expanded Universe) the color of light sabers used by the Sith, evil users of the Force. This is because a red lightsaber crystal is synthetically made, and therefore separated from the natural world. A red crystal is supposed to be stronger. The Jedi traditionally avoid using or making red lightsabers. In Knights of the Old Republic video games, red represents the dark side of the Force.
In the Magic: The Gathering trading card game, Red is the color associated with dealing damage, with direct-damage cards and creatures with large power in relation to toughness. See Seeing Red, an article by head Magic designer Mark Rosewater for more.
In the Disney/Pixar film, The Incredibles, red is worn by the entire Incredible Family. In the Disney on Ice play, Disney Presents Pixar's The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom Adventure, Helen briefly has objections about how red her super-suit looks.
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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 some decorating and fashion contexts, shades of red are describes by reference to the colors of fruits and vegetable 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.
In Welsh a "blue" movie (i.e. pornographic) is called a ffilm goch (a red movie).
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Red pigments
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See also
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