Yellow is a bright, warm color that immediately grabs people’s attention. While many things in nature are yellow, like daffodils, lemons, and sunflowers, humans have also created many yellow objects for practical and aesthetic purposes. Let’s explore 5 common man-made yellow items.
Bananas
One of the most recognizable yellow foods is the banana. Bananas are elongated, slightly curved fruits that grow in clusters on tall plants. When ripe and ready to eat, bananas turn a vibrant yellow color with some brown spots. Their skins become soft and their flesh sweet.
Bananas provide many health benefits. They are high in potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, and fiber. The fiber helps regulate digestion. The potassium aids muscle function and controlling blood pressure. The B vitamins assist with forming red blood cells and metabolizing carbs. The vitamin C strengthens the immune system.
Bananas make a tasty and portable breakfast or snack. You can eat them raw, sliced onto cereal, blended into smoothies, or baked into muffins and breads. Bananas complement both sweet and savory flavors. When overripe, bananas become sweeter and softer, perfect for making banana bread or milkshakes.
Bananas grow in tropical environments and are cultivated in many countries, primarily India, China, Philippines and Ecuador. The most common type is the Cavendish banana, which is bright yellow. Some varieties like plantains are starchier and often cooked before eating. Bananas should be stored at room temperature until ripe. Once ripe, they can be refrigerated to slow further ripening.
School Buses
School buses are large, yellow vehicles designed to safely transport children to and from school. Their distinct yellow color serves an important purpose. The bright color catches people’s attention so they notice the bus and avoid hitting it. This helps prevent tragic accidents, especially when children are boarding or exiting the bus.
In the United States, school buses are painted National School Bus Glossy Yellow. This specific pigment was standardized by transportation officials in 1939 for maximum visibility. The buses also feature black lettering and large stop signs to further improve their noticeability. When the stop sign extends and red lights flash, traffic must stop to allow children to cross safely.
School buses come in different sizes, fitting from 10 up to 90 passengers. A typical bus is about 36 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 10 feet tall. Their large size requires special training for drivers to obtain a commercial driver’s license. Buses have safety features like crossing gates to prevent accidents.
Riding the school bus is part of many children’s daily routine. They wait at assigned bus stops in the morning, then ride to and from school in the familiar yellow vehicle. School buses provide an essential service in every community.
Highlighters
Highlighters are pens containing fluorescent ink that shows up brightly on dark surfaces. Highlighters come in a range of neon colors, but yellow is the most common. The vibrant yellow ink stands out clearly against black text on white paper.
Highlighters allow you to mark and draw attention to important words, lines or passages in a book or document. The yellow highlighted sections fluoresce under UV light so they immediately catch your eye. This makes highlighters helpful study tools for highlighting noteworthy text. It’s much neater than using a yellow pen.
Yellow highlighters come in bright see-through colors like neon yellow, chartreuse, and lime green. They are plastic pens filled with semi-transparent, water-based dye. When you draw the wide chisel tip across paper, the dye flows out to produce glossy color. The fluorescent dye contains pigments that absorb invisible UV light then emit visible yellow wavelengths.
Highlighters should be used sparingly to emphasize text. Overusing highlighter will diminish its highlighting power. Always use on copies, not original documents. Highlighter ink can be removed with rubbing alcohol.
Post-it Notes
Post-it notes are small paper notes with a strip of reusable adhesive on the back. Post-its come in neon colors with classic yellow being the most recognizable. They were invented in 1974 by scientists trying to create strong, reusable glue. While the glue failed, they realized thebookmarks were handy for leaving notes on documents.
Post-it notes work well because the glue allows you to temporarily adhere them to surfaces like books, calendars, computers and desks. You can write reminders and to-do lists on Post-its and stick them anywhere. When you’re done, the Post-its peel off cleanly without leaving marks or residue behind.
Post-its come in square sheets measuring about 3 x 3 inches. Larger and smaller sizes are available too. Yellow is the iconic color, but Post-its now come in an array of bright neon hues. Their strong adhesive and paper allows Post-its to stick on nearly any surface from glass to concrete walls.
Post-it notes offer a simple way to post short written reminders, thoughts and communication. Their small size and neon color makes them hard to miss. Just jot down what you need to remember and stick the Post-it wherever you’ll see it. Post-its are convenient tools found in offices, schools and homes worldwide.
Legal Pads
Legal pads are notebooks with yellow legal ruled paper designed for writing and taking notes. Their color and format make them popular among lawyers, businesspeople and students for everyday notetaking. Legal pads feature acid-free, heavyweight 8.5 x 11 inch paper that does not bleed through with ink.
What makes legal pads distinct is the thin red margin line running down the left side of each page. While traditional ruled paper has horizontal lines across both sides, legal ruled paper leaves a wide blank margin on the left. This allows binding by punching holes near the left margin without obliterating any writing.
The paper itself has narrow faded blue lines spaced evenly apart. These guide neat, consistent handwriting in small print. Narrow rules prevent excess ink bleeding between lines. Legal pads give about 32 lines per page for jotting detailed notes during meetings, lectures, interviews and more. Pages tear off cleanly top or side bound.
Legal pads come in sturdy cardboard covers with white or manila paper. The pale yellow paper reduces glare and eyestrain during long writing sessions. It also provides high contrast with dark ink. Look for acid-free paper for preserving documents. Legal pads remain popular despite digital notes thanks to their flexibility and handy format.
Conclusion
Yellow is a bright, energetic color that grabs attention. Many manmade objects feature yellow for visibility and aesthetics. From nutrition-packed bananas to versatile Post-it notes, yellow items are diverse and useful. Vibrant school buses safely transport kids. Highlighters mark key text. Legal pads take notes neatly. Whatever yellow item catches your eye, know that its color was likely deliberately chosen to make it noticeable and functional.
