ROYGBIV
Roy G. Biv is a mnemonic for the sequence of hues in the visible spectrum, in rainbows, and in order from longest to shortest wavelength:
Another way to remember it is:
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.
The colors are arranged in the order of decreasing wavelengths, with red being 650 nm and violet being about 400 nm.
History
Although the spectrum is actually a continuum, the rainbow is perceived by the human eye (and the eyes of many other mammals) as discrete bands, due to the finite number of photoreceptor cell types in the eye. Inclusion of the color indigo is attributed to Isaac Newton, who wanted the number of colors in his spectrum to come out to seven to match the number of days in the week, the number of notes in the major scale, and the number of known planets.[1][2] He originally (1672) named only five primary colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and violet; only later did he introduce orange, and indigo.[3]
The Munsell color system, the first formal color notation system (1905), names only five "principal hues": red, yellow, green, blue, and purple (although note that Munsell's purple is not a spectral hue).[citation needed]
The meaningless but speakable word ROYGBIV is also used as a mnemonic for the spectral colors, as is its slightly less euphonious reverse VIBGYOR.[citation needed]
Another traditional mnemonic device has been to turn the seven initial letters of the spectral colors into a sentence. In England the most common is "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain". The mnemonic is said to refer to the defeat and death of Richard, Duke of York at the Battle of Wakefield. In order to avoid reference to this defeat, those from Yorkshire developed the alternative "Rowntrees of York Gave Best in Value". Alternatively, the Biblically inspired "Read Out Your Good Book In Verse" may be used.[citation needed]
Roy G Biv in popular culture
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (November 2009) |
"Roygbiv" is a song from Boards of Canada albums "Boc Maxima" and "Music Has the Right to Children".[citation needed]
"Roy G. Biv" is a song from the They Might Be Giants album Here Comes Science.
References
- ^ Hutchison, Niels (2004). "Music For Measure: On the 300th Anniversary of Newton's Opticks". Color Music.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - ^ Newton, Isaac (1704). Opticks.
{{cite book}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - ^ Mills, A. A. (1981-08). Newton's Prisms and His Experiments on the Spectrum. Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 36, No. 1. (August 1981), pp. 13-36. Retrieved from JSTOR.