5/21/2017 VisibleLightandtheEye'sResponse

VisibleLightandtheEye'sResponse
TheElectromagneticandVisibleSpectra
VisibleLightandtheEye'sResponse
LightAbsorption,Reflection,andTransmission
ColorAddition
ColorSubtraction
BlueSkiesandRedSunsets

AsmentionedinthefirstsectionofLesson2,oureyesaresensitivetoaverynarrowbandof
frequencieswithintheenormousrangeoffrequenciesoftheelectromagneticspectrum.Thisnarrow
bandoffrequenciesisreferredtoasthevisiblelightspectrum.Visiblelightthatwhichisdetectableby
thehumaneyeconsistsofwavelengthsrangingfromapproximately780nanometer(7.80x107m)
downto390nanometer(3.90x107m).Specificwavelengthswithinthespectrumcorrespondtoa
specificcolorbaseduponhowhumanstypicallyperceivelightofthatwavelength.Thelongwavelength
endofthespectrumcorrespondstolightthatisperceivedbyhumanstoberedandtheshort
wavelengthendofthespectrumcorrespondstolightthatisperceivedtobeviolet.Othercolorswithin
thespectrumincludeorange,yellow,greenandblue.Thegraphicbelowdepictstheapproximaterange
ofwavelengthsthatareassociatedwiththevariousperceivedcolorswithinthespectrum.

ColorCones
Colorcanbethoughtofasapsychologicalandphysiologicalresponsetolightwavesofaspecific
frequencyorsetoffrequenciesimpingingupontheeye.Anunderstandingofthehumanresponseto
colordemandsthatoneunderstandthebiologyoftheeye.Lightthatenterstheeyethroughthepupil
ultimatelystrikestheinsidesurfaceoftheeyeknownastheretina.Theretinaislinedwithavarietyof
lightsensingcellsknownasrodsandcones.Whiletherodsontheretinaaresensitivetotheintensityof
light,theycannotdistinguishbetweenlightsofdifferentwavelengths.Ontheotherhand,theconesare
thecolorsensingcellsoftheretina.Whenlightofagivenwavelengthenterstheeyeandstrikesthe
conesoftheretina,achemicalreactionisactivatedthatresultsinanelectricalimpulsebeingsentalong
nervestothebrain.Itisbelievedthattherearethreekindsofcones,eachsensitivetoitsownrangeof
wavelengthswithinthevisiblelightspectrum.Thesethreekindsofconesarereferredtoasredcones,
greencones,andblueconesbecauseoftheirrespectivesensitivitytothewavelengthsoflightthatare
associatedwithred,greenandblue.Sincetheredconeissensitivetoarangeofwavelengths,itisnot
onlyactivatedbywavelengthsofredlight,butalso(toalesserextent)bywavelengthsoforangelight,
yellowlightandevengreenlight.Inthesamemanner,thegreenconeismostsensitivetowavelengths
oflightassociatedwiththecolorgreen.Yetthegreenconecanalsobeactivatedbywavelengthsof
lightassociatedwiththecolorsyellowandblue.Thegraphicbelowisasensitivitycurvethatdepictsthe
rangeofwavelengthsandthesensitivitylevelforthethreekindsofcones.

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Theconesensitivitycurveshownabovehelpsustobetterunderstandourresponsetothelightthat
isincidentupontheretina.Whiletheresponseisactivatedbythephysicsoflightwaves,theresponse
itselfisbothphysiologicalandpsychological.Supposethatwhitelighti.e.,lightconsistingofthefull
rangeofwavelengthswithinthevisiblelightspectrumisincidentupontheretina.Uponstrikingthe
retina,thephysiologicaloccurs:photochemicalreactionsoccurwithinthe
conestoproduceelectricalimpulsesthataresentalongnervestothebrain.
Theconesrespondtotheincidentlightbysendingamessageforwardto
brain,saying,"Lightishittingme."Uponreachingthebrain,the
psychologicaloccurs:thebraindetectstheelectricalmessagesbeingsent
bytheconesandinterpretsthemeaningofthemessages.Thebrain
respondsbysaying"itiswhite."Forthecaseofwhitelightenteringtheeye
andstrikingtheretina,eachofthethreekindsofconeswouldbeactivated
intosendingtheelectricalmessagesalongtothebrain.Andthebrainrecognizesthatthemessagesare
beingsentbyallthreeconesandsomehowinterpretsthistomeanthatwhitelighthasenteredtheeye.
Nowsupposethatlightintheyellowrangeofwavelengths(approximately577nmto597nm)enters
theeyeandstrikestheretina.Lightwiththesewavelengthswouldactivateboththegreenandthered
conesoftheretina.Uponstrikingtheretina,thephysiologicaloccurs:electricalmessagesaresentby
boththeredandthegreenconestothebrain.Oncereceivedbythebrain,thepsychologicaloccurs:the
brainrecognizesthatthelighthasactivatedboththeredandthegreenconesandsomehowinterprets
thistomeanthattheobjectisyellow.Inthissense,theyellowappearanceofobjectsissimplythe
resultofyellowlightfromtheobjectenteringoureyeandstimulatingtheredandthegreencones
simultaneously.

Iftheappearanceofyellowisperceivedofanobjectwhenitactivatestheredandthegreencones
simultaneously,thenwhatappearancewouldresultiftwooverlappingredandgreenspotlightsentered
oureye?Usingthesame threeconetheory
,wecouldmakesomepredictionsoftheresult.Redlight
enteringoureyewouldmostlyactivatetheredcolorconeandgreenlightenteringoureyewould
mostlyactivatethegreencolorcone.Eachconewouldsendtheirusualelectricalmessagestothebrain.
Ifthebrainhasbeenpsychologicallytrainedtointerpretthesetwosignalstomean"yellow",thenthe
brainwouldperceivetheoverlappingredandgreenspotlightstoappearasyellow.Totheeyebrain
system,thereisnodifferenceinthephysiologicalandpsychologicalresponsetoyellowlightanda
mixingofredandgreenlight.Thebrainhasnomeansofdistinguishingbetweenthetwophysical
situations.

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Inatechnicalsense,itisreallynotappropriatetorefertolightasbeingcolored.Lightissimplyawave
withaspecificwavelengthoramixtureofwavelengthsithasnocolorinandofitself.Anobjectthatis
emittingorreflectinglighttooureyeappearstohaveaspecificcolorastheresultoftheeyebrain
responsetothewavelength.Sotechnically,thereisreallynosuchthingasyellowlight.
Rather,thereislightwithawavelengthofabout590nmthatappearsyellow.And
thereisalsolightwithamixtureofwavelengthsofabout700nmand530nmthat
togetherappearsyellow.Theyellowappearanceofthesetwoclearlydifferentlight
sourcescanbetracedtothephysiologicalandpsychologicalresponseoftheeyebrain
system,andnottothelightitself.Sotobetechnicallyappropriate,apersonwould
referto"yellowlight"as"lightthatcreatesayellowappearance."Yet,tomaintainalargercollectionof
friendships,apersonwouldreferto"yellowlight"as"yellowlight."
InthenextseveralsectionsofLesson2,wewillexploretheseconceptsfurtherbyintroducingthree
primarycolorsoflightandgeneratingsomesimplerulesforpredictingthecolorappearanceofobjects
intermsofthethreeprimarycolors.

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