← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

Black, white and greys in RGB

Black is (0, 0, 0), white is (255, 255, 255). Any grey has equal red, green and blue values, like (128, 128, 128). Smaller equal numbers are darker; unequal numbers give a tint.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Representing Text, Images and Sound — Module 35

Understanding Black, white and greys in RGB in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: Equal values make a grey, and 128 is about halfway between 0 and 255, so it is a mid grey. All three numbers are equal, so it is grey. They are small, so it is a dark grey, close to black. Black means no light at all, so red, green and blue are all 0. White is all three colours at full strength, so each value is 255. When all three values are 0, no light is added, so the pixel is black.

Common mistakes: A grey needs equal red, green and blue values. (192, 192, 190) has slightly less blue, so it is a tinted colour, not a true grey. It should be (192, 192, 192). A mid grey needs all three values equal. With blue at 0 the colour turns olive-yellow. It should be rgb(128, 128, 128).

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

🖨 Print worksheet + answer key Add Black, white and greys in RGB to a class →

This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 128–152) and word search (Modules 69–152).

Take this worksheet further — free with Cloodit

Each concept is reinforced from every angle — learned, then applied, then tested.

Learning
Duo
Which RGB value makes black?
(255, 255, 255)(0, 0, 0)
Matches
rgb(200, 200, 100) for a light grey
↓
The values are not all equal. The lower blue value gives a yellowish tint instead of a pure grey.
Applying
Meanings
Term
rgb(r, g, b)
Meaning
Black is (0, 0, 0), white is (255, 255, 255). Any grey has equal red, green and blue values, like (128, 128, 128). Smaller equal numbers are darker; unequal numbers give a tint.
Practice
<div style="background:rgb(0,0,0);color:white;padding:8px">Black</div>
Testing
Gaps
black = rgb(, 0, 0)
Check Answer
Spots
3dark_grey = (64, 64, 64)
4light_grey = (192, 192, 190)

Cloodit turns curriculum-aligned coding content into journeys students work through one biome at a time.

The 'Fennec Fox' badge — Listener, one of Cloodit's 106 collectible badges
Students earn collectable badges

Over 100 of them, across seven natural biomes.

Study Buddy
Students build a real study resource

Turns their work into revision material ready for Flash Cards and Exam study.

Diamond Dash — one of Cloodit's live, competitive Sprint games
Students lock in with Sprints

Live, competitive practice for the start of the lesson or a teacher-led lesson finisher.

A Cloodit certificate of achievement, ready to personalise and print
Custom printable certificates

Honour your top performers, or encourage a student who's trying hard — ready to print in seconds.

Add to class →

Quick Questions

1. Which RGB value makes black?
A. (0, 0, 0) ✓
B. (255, 255, 255)
Black means no light at all, so red, green and blue are all 0.
2. Which RGB value makes white?
A. (0, 0, 0)
B. (255, 255, 255) ✓
White is all three colours at full strength, so each value is 255.
3. Which colour is a grey?
A. (128, 100, 128)
B. (128, 128, 128) ✓
A grey has equal red, green and blue values. In (128, 100, 128) the green is lower, so it is not a true grey.
4. Which grey is darker?
A. (40, 40, 40) ✓
B. (200, 200, 200)
With equal values, smaller numbers mean less light, so the grey is darker.
5. What does (200, 200, 200) look like?
A. A light grey ✓
B. A dark grey
The equal values are close to 255, so it is a light grey.

Match the Pairs

rgb(0, 0, 0) → Black: no red, no green and no blue light
rgb(255, 255, 255) → White: red, green and blue all at full strength
A mid grey has equal red, green and blue values, halfway between black and white → rgb(128, 128, 128)
A darker grey uses smaller equal values than a lighter grey → rgb(50, 50, 50)
rgb(200, 200, 100) for a light grey → The values are not all equal. The lower blue value gives a yellowish tint instead of a pure grey.
rgb(255, 255, 255) for black → 255 for every value is white, not black. Black needs all values at 0.

Key Term

rgb(r, g, b)
Black is (0, 0, 0), white is (255, 255, 255). Any grey has equal red, green and blue values, like (128, 128, 128). Smaller equal numbers are darker; unequal numbers give a tint.

Fill in the Blanks

1. black = rgb(0, 0, 0)
Hint: Type the number that red, green and blue all have when a pixel is completely black.
2. white = rgb(255, 255, 255)
Hint: Type the green value for white, which is the highest value a colour channel can have.
3. # Equal values make a grey grey = rgb(128, 128, 128)
Hint: Type the green value that matches the red and blue values so the colour stays a plain grey.
4. darkGrey = rgb(40, 40, 40)
Hint: Type the function name that builds a colour from red, green and blue numbers.
5. # Make blue bigger to tint the grey tint = rgb(90, 90, 180)
Hint: Type a blue value larger than red and green so the grey gets a bluish tint.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A black = (0, 0, 0)
B white = (255, 255, 255)
C dark_grey = (64, 64, 64)
D light_grey = (192, 192, 190)
Line D — A grey needs equal red, green and blue values. (192, 192, 190) has slightly less blue, so it is a tinted colour, not a true grey. It should be (192, 192, 192).
Question 2
A text = rgb(0, 0, 0)
B bg = rgb(255, 255, 255)
C border = rgb(128, 128, 0)
Line C — A mid grey needs all three values equal. With blue at 0 the colour turns olive-yellow. It should be rgb(128, 128, 128).
Question 3
A black = (0, 0, 0)
B white = (255, 255, 0)
C print(black, white)
Line B — White needs red, green and blue all at the maximum, 255. With blue at 0 this is yellow. It should be (255, 255, 255).
Question 4
A light = (200, 200, 200)
B dark = (230, 230, 230)
C print(light, dark)
Line B — Smaller equal numbers make a darker grey. (230, 230, 230) is lighter than (200, 200, 200), so the dark grey needs a smaller value such as (50, 50, 50).
Question 5
A grey = (100, 100, 200)
B r, g, b = grey
C print(r == g and g == b)
Line A — A grey has equal red, green and blue values. Blue is 200 here, which gives a blue tint. It should be (100, 100, 100).

Student with a class code? Join your class →