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Colour is that part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is perceived by the human eye to form what we know as ‘light’. Other forms of radiation such as UV and radio waves do not form part of the visible spectrum and are perceived by other parts of the human sensory system (UV will burn, radio waves can be converted into sound). The full electromagnetic spectrum spans wavelengths from 10−5 to 1013 nanometers, with visible light forming only a small fraction of this between about 400–700 nanometers. The colour of an object as perceived by the human eye depends on the proportion of each wavelength of light reflected, and on the nature of the illumination.

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