- #1
zenterix
- 709
- 84
- Homework Statement
- One process that occurs for a human to be able to perceive color is called "color mixing".
- Relevant Equations
- Basically, we have three different types of light-sensitive receptor cells in our retinas.
Each type of cell responds to light with wavelengths in a certain range.
The distinct ranges center around yellowish red, green, and bluish violet, respectively.
A "response" from a receptor cell is some neural signal to the brain.
The combination of the responses of all our receptor cells gives rise to the perception of a rich palette of hues of color.
My question is about the origin of the light that reaches our eyes.
A TV screen, for example, emits light. Each tiny spot on the screen emits different wavelengths that reach our eyes and the combination of wavelengths is perceived as a certain hue, as described above.
The wavelengths are thus "added", in the sense that each wavelength of the object we are looking at (a pixel on the screen) reaches our optical receptor cells.
On the other hand, suppose we are looking at yellow paint on a canvas. We can see it because the yellow wavelength of white light is being reflected by the paint and reaches our eyes. All other wavelengths are absorbed by the paint.
Suppose we mix in some blue paint together with the yellow paint.
The book I am reading says that in this case the "wavelengths of each contributing hue are subtracted".
I don't quite understand this statement.
Sure, when light hits the mixture of the two paints, the blue paint absorbs yellow light and the yellow paint absorbs blue light.
But each paint still reflects its specific color, no?
If we mix red, blue, and green, we get black paint, suggesting that all the wavelengths are absorbed in totality.
Is it simply the case that yellow and blue don't let some light be reflected but red, green and blue together don't? Is it just the case that three paints have much more absorptive capacity than two paints and this is why mixing the three is black but mixing two is not?
I don't understand the meaning of the word "subtract" in all of this.
Here is a picture from the book
The distinct ranges center around yellowish red, green, and bluish violet, respectively.
A "response" from a receptor cell is some neural signal to the brain.
The combination of the responses of all our receptor cells gives rise to the perception of a rich palette of hues of color.
My question is about the origin of the light that reaches our eyes.
A TV screen, for example, emits light. Each tiny spot on the screen emits different wavelengths that reach our eyes and the combination of wavelengths is perceived as a certain hue, as described above.
The wavelengths are thus "added", in the sense that each wavelength of the object we are looking at (a pixel on the screen) reaches our optical receptor cells.
On the other hand, suppose we are looking at yellow paint on a canvas. We can see it because the yellow wavelength of white light is being reflected by the paint and reaches our eyes. All other wavelengths are absorbed by the paint.
Suppose we mix in some blue paint together with the yellow paint.
The book I am reading says that in this case the "wavelengths of each contributing hue are subtracted".
I don't quite understand this statement.
Sure, when light hits the mixture of the two paints, the blue paint absorbs yellow light and the yellow paint absorbs blue light.
But each paint still reflects its specific color, no?
If we mix red, blue, and green, we get black paint, suggesting that all the wavelengths are absorbed in totality.
Is it simply the case that yellow and blue don't let some light be reflected but red, green and blue together don't? Is it just the case that three paints have much more absorptive capacity than two paints and this is why mixing the three is black but mixing two is not?
I don't understand the meaning of the word "subtract" in all of this.
Here is a picture from the book