# color theory **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58289 "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/58289/1 "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:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58289/2 "2001-03-16T21:47:23Z")
Because red, green and blue are the additive primary colors, and televisions and computer screens perform additive color mixing. Mixing paints and dyes is a subtractive process, and technically, the subtractive primary colors are cyan, yellow and magenta. This site has some background: [http://home.att.net/~B-P.TRUSCIO/COLORSYS.htm](http://home.att.net/~B-P.TRUSCIO/COLORSYS.htm) It includes a discussion of the Red / Blue / Yellow primary set as well as additive vs. subtractive mixing. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/color-theory/58289/3 "2001-03-16T21:55:39Z")
And I wonder: why is a site about color mixing done in such an awful mish-mash of font and background colors?