Mix all the paints and you get brown. Mix all the lights and you get white. Why?

Same three colors — red, green, blue. One pile turns into muddy brown, the other into bright white. Let's find the trick… then run the race yourself.

1Two ways to make a color

A color can be given off, or taken away

There are two completely different ways color can happen. Watch each one move:

Light gives off color

A glowing light adds color into the dark. Start with black, shine a color, and now there's color where there was none.

Paint takes color away

A paint is a filter that swallows colors. White light hits it, the paint eats some colors and bounces back only the leftover — that leftover is the color you see.

2So there are two games

Adding glow vs taking away

The adding game

Lights pile glow ON

+ + =

Each light adds its glow on top of the others.

starts dark → gets brighter ↑
The taking game

Paints swallow color

+ + =

Each paint swallows more, leaving less behind.

starts bright → gets darker ↓

3Your turn — stack them yourself

Pick a world, then pile on red, green, and blue

Choose which game you're playing. Then tap to stack each color and watch the spot change. (The light world also has a brightness dial.)

Nothing stacked yet tap a color to add it
Light brightness: full
DARK ROOMBLAZING

4The big race

Same three colors, two finish lines 🏁

Now we stack red + green + blue in both worlds side by side, at the very same time. One spot will end up white. One will end up brown. But which?

Guess before you watch

Remember: lights add glow (starting from black), paints take away (starting from white). You stack red + green + blue in each. Which world ends up WHITE instead of brown?

💡 Stacking lights

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🎨 Stacking paints

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