TED-Ed: What is the rarest color in nature? | Victoria Hwang

The video explores the rarity of colors in nature, driven by physics and evolution. It explains how colors are generated through absorption and structural methods. Absorption-based colors occur when certain wavelengths are absorbed by pigments, while structural colors result from light scattering by nanostructures. Blue is common in structural colors, while red is rare. Violet is the rarest color due to its high energy and limited scattering structures.

What is the primary reason blue light is commonly absorbed by pigments in plants?

• Blue light has high energy wavelengths.

• Blue light is the most abundant in sunlight.

• Blue light has low energy wavelengths.

• Blue light is the least absorbed by pigments.

How are structural colors different from absorption-based colors?

• They are less vibrant than absorption-based colors.

• They are only visible in artificial light.

• They are created by scattering and amplifying light.

• They are generated by pigments absorbing light.

Why is blue considered a common structural color?

• It is rarely found in nature.

• It is easily scattered due to its low energy.

• It is the least visible color in the spectrum.

• It is easily scattered due to its high energy.

Which color is least likely to be generated in both structural and absorption forms?

• Red

• Blue

• Green

• Violet

What makes violet a rare color in nature?

• It occupies a large portion of the visible spectrum.

• It is easily scattered by nanostructures.

• It is a combination of red and blue light.

• It has very energetic wavelengths that are often absorbed.