Color Mixing Cube

Turn cyan, magenta, and yellow filters into a rainbow of new colors

The CMY Color Mixing Cube is a solid block of acrylic with three faces tinted cyan, magenta, and yellow. Hold it up to a light source and rotate it, and the overlapping filters combine to produce blue, red, green, and other secondary colors along the edges and corners. Students watch subtractive color mixing happen in real time instead of reading about it in a diagram.

With no batteries or moving parts, the cube works under any light source, a classroom window, a desk lamp, an overhead projector, and holds up to daily handling without scratching or fading. Students can rotate it against different backgrounds and compare results, with no setup beyond finding a light source.

Use it in a light and color unit alongside filters or diffraction gratings, or as a standalone demo for how printers and dyes rely on subtractive color mixing, unlike the additive mixing used in screens.

Why Teachers Love It

• Subtractive Color Mixing in Real Time – Rotating the cube lets students watch cyan, magenta, and yellow filters combine into new colors instead of reading about it in a diagram.

• No Setup or Power Required – Works under any ambient or lamp light, no batteries, wiring, or darkroom needed.

• Durable Acrylic Build – Scratch-resistant surfaces that don't fade, so the cube holds up to years of student handling.