# color theory **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58288 "2001-03-16T20:51:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![syenchik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/57b2e6/32.png) [@syenchik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syenchik)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58288/1 "2001-03-16T20:51:58Z")
Why is it that televisions and computers use the colors red, green and blue to display colors when the three primary colors are red, yellow and blue? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58288/2 "2001-03-16T21:35:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by syenchik \* > \*\*Why is it that televisions and computers use the colors red, green and blue to display colors when the three primary colors are red, yellow and blue? \*\* Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors for pigment. The primary colors of light are red, green, and blue. Since televisions and computers use light to display images, they use the primary colors for light. Pigment-based images, such as newspaper photos, use the primary colors for pigment. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2001, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58288/3 "2001-03-17T00:20:15Z")
This thread had an accidental duplicate. I’ll close this copy (sorry, **Lamia** ) and direct members to the twin, [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=63784).