Two Rays of Light: What Color is Projected?

In summary, when two rays of different colors of light cross each other, the ultimate color projected on the wall is a combination of the two colors, which our brain interprets as yellow. This is because our eyes have three color receptors that are stimulated by the two colors, and the resulting mixed signal is perceived as yellow. This phenomenon is due to the biology of color vision and the average wavelength of yellow light.
  • #1
lordy12
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When two rays of different colors of light cross each other what color is projected on the wall? Say for example, red light, and green light cross each other, what is the ultimate color projected on the wall? Why don't the colors get mixed up?
 
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  • #3
why does this happen?
 
  • #4
lordy12 said:
why does this happen?
It's a matter of the biology of color vision and how our three color receptors (cones) are stimulated. (If you're mainly interested in the biological aspects, I can move this thread to that forum.) There's a bit here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_vision" [Broken]
 
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  • #5
lordy12 said:
When two rays of different colors of light cross each other what color is projected on the wall? Say for example, red light, and green light cross each other, what is the ultimate color projected on the wall? Why don't the colors get mixed up?

The colour(s) projected on the wall are (1) red and (2) green. Period.

The human eye is sensitive to both read and green, but our brains interpret the combination of the two as yellow.
 
  • #6
lordy12 said:
When two rays of different colors of light cross each other what color is projected on the wall? Say for example, red light, and green light cross each other, what is the ultimate color projected on the wall? Why don't the colors get mixed up?
Try this experiment: draw thin red lines alternated with thin green lines with bright colours on a bright white paper, then look at this drawing from some metres apart. You can do the same on computer monitor with a drawing application. The human eye cannot resolve the two different colours more than a certain limit, so the two colours signals will be mixed in your phisiological apparatus. This mixed signal is perceived as "yellow". The fact that a (really) yellow light is perceived in the same way, is due to the fact that yellow light has an average wavelenght between that of red and that of green light, so it will stimulate red receptors and green receptors in our eye in the same way.
 
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1. What is the concept of "Two Rays of Light: What Color is Projected?"

The concept of "Two Rays of Light: What Color is Projected?" is a thought experiment used to demonstrate how the human eye perceives color. It involves projecting two different colors of light onto a white surface and observing how they combine to create a new color.

2. How does the human eye perceive color?

The human eye perceives color through the presence of specialized cells called cones. These cones are sensitive to three primary colors: red, green, and blue. The brain then processes the signals from these cones to create the perception of different colors.

3. What colors can be projected in the "Two Rays of Light" experiment?

In theory, any colors can be projected in the "Two Rays of Light" experiment, as long as they are different from each other. However, the most commonly used colors are red, green, and blue, as they are the primary colors that our eyes are sensitive to.

4. What color will be observed when the two rays of light are combined?

The color observed when the two rays of light are combined depends on the colors of the individual rays. If two primary colors, such as red and green, are combined, the resulting color will be a secondary color, such as yellow. If two secondary colors, such as purple and green, are combined, the resulting color will be a tertiary color, such as blue-green.

5. How does this experiment relate to the color wheel?

The "Two Rays of Light" experiment is closely related to the color wheel, which is a tool used to visualize the relationship between different colors. When the two rays of light are combined, the resulting color can be found on the color wheel by mixing the two original colors. This experiment helps demonstrate the principles of color theory and how colors interact with each other.

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