Book 13, Question 130
Why Do Some Lamps Look Warm and Yellow While Others Look Cool and White?
Some lamps look warm and yellow, and others look cool and white, because they give off different mixes of colors! Warm lamps have more orange and yellow. Cool lamps have more blue.
More fun facts
- Warm light looks orangish or reddish, and cool light looks bluish or greenish.
- Warm and cool colors create different lighting effects in a room.
- Some LED lamps can change from warm to neutral to cool, called white tuning.
- When incandescent bulbs dim, their light looks warmer, more yellow and red.
- White fluorescent and LED lamps usually have spikier color mixes than old bulbs.
Sources: NIST, U.S. Department of Energy, NIST
Questions kids ask
Why would someone change a lamp from warm to cool?
For looks, or even for health reasons, people may want different light at different times.