Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I can see colors,
But is it scientifically true?
We all can see colors. But can we really see the color of a body? Or is it just an illusion of our brain.
A color is a specific kind of pulse generated by the photoreceptor cells present in the yellow spot of our eye. It basically depends on the wavelength of the photon that strikes our yellow spot. Might I add that our photoreceptor cells are sensitive to only a certain wavelength of light (which we all know as the visible spectrum). The wavelength of this spectrum is between 700 to 400 nm (nanometers). Our eyes are unable to perceive anything above or below this spectrum (or should I say, our cells do not react i.e. generate pulse when light of any other wavelength strike them). That's why you can see every colors on the image above very vividly.
Now that we know what makes us see color. What is it that makes a body colorful?
Well, its pretty simple and interesting. When a photon strikes a body, the body absorbs certain amount of energy, the rest of the energy is reflected back in the form of radiation. This radiation, or might I say, light then strikes the photoreceptor cells in our eye and get absorbed by the cells and hence produce the sensation of sight.
What is different in a body is that, a specific body (or might I say, a specific material) absorbs a certain amount of energy of the visible spectrum. The energy which it doesn't absorb is then reflected back. Confused?
Lets say you see a red body. What happens here is that, when the light (of multiple wavelengths, or a white light) strikes the surface of the body, all the wavelengths are absorbed except red. Hence the red light strikes our photoreceptor cells and hence we see the body as a red body. Similarly, a green body reflects green light.
Our eyes are especially sensitive to three colors, namely Red, Green and Blue. These three basic colors constitute of all our visual perceptions in one combination or the other.
Now, some of you might be wondering, why is it so important for us to feel color? Dogs are color blind and they do pretty good with vision too.
Well, our perception of color was an evolutionary necessity. Being able to see colors helps us bifurcate our environment. It helps us differentiate different materials of our environment and those that we use in our day to day life. It also helps us create a better and perceptive environment around us, giving us the edge in the evolutionary tree.
Now you guys might be wondering, what is the actual color of a body? i.e. what is the color of the body without any other foreign influence.
One of the most probable answer as per my knowledge is:
The actual color of a body depends on the bodies temperature. We as humans emit radiations in the infrared spectrum. The hotter the body gets the shorter wavelength of the emitted radiation. Hence as infrared emissions are above 1000nm, our bodies, having 96~98`F emits those radiations. In order for us to see a body emitting light falling in the wavelength of our visible spectrum, we need to heat the body. Lets say we heat any metal (for eg Iron). After a certain temperature we see a dim red glow from the metal. This is the point when the iron starts to emit light falling in wavelengths of visible spectrum. In order for us to see all the materials in their natural wavelengths we need some BIG eyes. Real big.
In order to see people in the dark we use thermal cameras that operate in the infrared spectrum i.e. their receptor units are sensitive to infrared radiations hence the detector takes in infrared light and processes it to form an image emitting light of visible wavelength.
Another possible hypothesis about this "Color Delusion" is that there is no actual color of a body. Its just the property of the body to absorb and reflect radiations, or just radiate radiations based on its current state.
In some special cases we even have luminescence. Like bio luminescence, chemiluminescence etc. It is a type of cold body radiation that emit light in the visible spectrum.
Hence I would like to conclude it with the statement,
Roses are not red,
Violets are not blue,
Its just my eyes,
That see you.
Violets are blue,
I can see colors,
But is it scientifically true?
We all can see colors. But can we really see the color of a body? Or is it just an illusion of our brain.
Lets start with what is "color"?
A color is a specific kind of pulse generated by the photoreceptor cells present in the yellow spot of our eye. It basically depends on the wavelength of the photon that strikes our yellow spot. Might I add that our photoreceptor cells are sensitive to only a certain wavelength of light (which we all know as the visible spectrum). The wavelength of this spectrum is between 700 to 400 nm (nanometers). Our eyes are unable to perceive anything above or below this spectrum (or should I say, our cells do not react i.e. generate pulse when light of any other wavelength strike them). That's why you can see every colors on the image above very vividly. Now that we know what makes us see color. What is it that makes a body colorful?
Well, its pretty simple and interesting. When a photon strikes a body, the body absorbs certain amount of energy, the rest of the energy is reflected back in the form of radiation. This radiation, or might I say, light then strikes the photoreceptor cells in our eye and get absorbed by the cells and hence produce the sensation of sight.
What is different in a body is that, a specific body (or might I say, a specific material) absorbs a certain amount of energy of the visible spectrum. The energy which it doesn't absorb is then reflected back. Confused?
Lets say you see a red body. What happens here is that, when the light (of multiple wavelengths, or a white light) strikes the surface of the body, all the wavelengths are absorbed except red. Hence the red light strikes our photoreceptor cells and hence we see the body as a red body. Similarly, a green body reflects green light.
Our eyes are especially sensitive to three colors, namely Red, Green and Blue. These three basic colors constitute of all our visual perceptions in one combination or the other.
Now, some of you might be wondering, why is it so important for us to feel color? Dogs are color blind and they do pretty good with vision too.
Well, our perception of color was an evolutionary necessity. Being able to see colors helps us bifurcate our environment. It helps us differentiate different materials of our environment and those that we use in our day to day life. It also helps us create a better and perceptive environment around us, giving us the edge in the evolutionary tree.
Now you guys might be wondering, what is the actual color of a body? i.e. what is the color of the body without any other foreign influence.
One of the most probable answer as per my knowledge is:
The actual color of a body depends on the bodies temperature. We as humans emit radiations in the infrared spectrum. The hotter the body gets the shorter wavelength of the emitted radiation. Hence as infrared emissions are above 1000nm, our bodies, having 96~98`F emits those radiations. In order for us to see a body emitting light falling in the wavelength of our visible spectrum, we need to heat the body. Lets say we heat any metal (for eg Iron). After a certain temperature we see a dim red glow from the metal. This is the point when the iron starts to emit light falling in wavelengths of visible spectrum. In order for us to see all the materials in their natural wavelengths we need some BIG eyes. Real big.
In order to see people in the dark we use thermal cameras that operate in the infrared spectrum i.e. their receptor units are sensitive to infrared radiations hence the detector takes in infrared light and processes it to form an image emitting light of visible wavelength.
Another possible hypothesis about this "Color Delusion" is that there is no actual color of a body. Its just the property of the body to absorb and reflect radiations, or just radiate radiations based on its current state.
In some special cases we even have luminescence. Like bio luminescence, chemiluminescence etc. It is a type of cold body radiation that emit light in the visible spectrum.
Hence I would like to conclude it with the statement,
Roses are not red,
Violets are not blue,
Its just my eyes,
That see you.
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