Which two colored lights are needed to create magenta?

To create the color magenta, you need to combine red and blue light. In the context of additive color mixing, red and blue are primary colors that, when combined, produce magenta. This occurs because light colors mix in a way that adds up their wavelengths.

When red (which has a long wavelength) and blue (which has a short wavelength) are combined, they create magenta, which is a non-spectral color not found in the traditional rainbow but resulting from this specific combination of lights.

Using other combinations of colors, such as green and blue or red and green, does not yield magenta. Green, being another primary color, competes with red, and together they can produce yellow or various shades of brightness, but not magenta. Therefore, red and blue are indeed the correct combination to create magenta in additive color mixing.