Colour: you heard it on Horizon

Drakkith

As far as I know, no. The pigment filters out wavelengths and only lets light within its range make it to the retinal to activate it. A stronger response simply means that the wavelength has a better chance of getting through the pigment. I'm am not an expert on this, so I could very possibly be wrong.

LostConjugate

I still think this is due to a resonance phenomenon with the electron states in the molecules of the pigment. If a system responds to a frequency of oscillation in a non-linear fashion it can always be reduced to a resonance phenomenon at the most fundamental level. However I could be wrong.

Drakkith

I don't care if does or doesn't in this case, as we aren't discussing Quantum Physics. I think it just really really confuses people to try to explain things like that here.

LostConjugate

I was not meaning to go into quantum physics at all. Just thought it was clear as day that a cone in the eye resonates with certain frequencies. The term resonate is perhaps the most proper word in both its description and physical meaning. What other word would I possibly use?

However it really has nothing to do with the original conversation. Didn't expect it to generate so much controversy was all :)

Drakkith

I have never seen it used that way until now. I'm not saying it is incorrect, just that it is really confusing to most people when used this way. Not a big deal in itself, but it did derail the thread for a while between you explaining it and other people refuting it.

sophiecentaur

This statement seems to suggest that your reasoning is based on an extension of the 'Hydrogen Atom Model'. In a condensed medium, things aren't like that. You don't have 'spot resonances' but bands of energy and a continuum of energy transitions - hence a wide band response with no explicit resonances, such as in the simple gas atom model. A resonance suggests a build up of energy in a system with a fundamental oscillatory mode. That idea doesn't apply here. The 'specific frequency range' is nearly the whole of the visible spectrum so the establishment of a colour sensation is as a result of the combination of all three sensors. Only three spot spectral wavelengths would correspond to maximum response from one of each of the three curves. Virtually all colours evoke non-zero responses from all three sensors.