text taken from http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/index.php?topic=39
http://weelookang.blogspot.sg/2013/09/light-mixing-model.html
Thomas Young, in the early 1800s, showed that a broad range of colours can be generated by mixing three beams of light, provided their frequencies were widely separately.
When three such beams combine to produce white light, there are called primary colours.
There is no single unique set of these primaries, nor do they have to be monochromatic.
The three components (emitted by three phosphor) that generate the whole gamut of hues seen on a colour TV set are Red, Green, Blue.
Looking through a coloured window or cloth is another story.
Yellow cloth, paper, dye, paint, and ink all selectively absorb blue and reflect what remains - yellow - and that is why they appear yellow.
This java applet let you play with mixing light beams and paint pigments.
