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Color Vision Simulation Guide

This document provides instructions for using a PhET simulation on color vision. It guides the user through experiments mixing primary colors of light and observing the results. It also explores using color filters on white and monochromatic light. The key findings are: 1) Mixing two primary colors of light produces a secondary color. 2) Mixing all three primary colors produces white light. 3) Color filters only allow light of their own color to pass through, absorbing other wavelengths. This determines the color seen by the observer.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
66 views3 pages

Color Vision Simulation Guide

This document provides instructions for using a PhET simulation on color vision. It guides the user through experiments mixing primary colors of light and observing the results. It also explores using color filters on white and monochromatic light. The key findings are: 1) Mixing two primary colors of light produces a secondary color. 2) Mixing all three primary colors produces white light. 3) Color filters only allow light of their own color to pass through, absorbing other wavelengths. This determines the color seen by the observer.

Uploaded by

Danika
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Physics Name _______________________

PhET Simulation – Color Vision Date ________________________

Access: Google “PhET simulations.” Click on Light & Radiation. Launch the Color Vision Simulation.

Part I – Use the RGB Bulbs Tab


1) Each light has a color gradient. For the best results, slide the bar to the very top of each color. Each color should be
observed individually for this first part. To stop the color, return the bar to the black location.
a) What color is seen when the red light is on?

b) What color is seen when the green light is on?

c) What color is seen when the blue light is on?

2) For the next part we will investigate the effects of mixing two colors. Before you begin each part be sure to make a
hypothesis.
a) What color do you think the man will see when red and green are mixed together?

b) Turn on the red and green, both to the very top of the color scale. What does the man actually see?

c) Experiment with the degree of color. While doing this, make sure that both colors are in equal locations on
the scale. What colors are observed? Do they still fit into the same color family as the color observed in ‘b’?

3) Keep the red lig ht on (to the top red location), and turn off the green. We will be looking at red and blue next.
a) What color do you think the man will see when red and blue are mixed together?

b) Turn on the red and blue, both to the very top of the color scale. What does the man actually see?

c) Experiment with the degree of color. While doing this, make sure that both colors are in equal locations on
the scale. What colors are observed? Do they still fit into the same color family as the color observed in ‘b’?

4) Keep the blue light on (to the top blue location), and turn off the red. We will be looking at green and blue next.
a) What color do you think the man will see when green and blue are mixed together?

b) Turn on the green and blue, both to the very top of the color scale. What does the man actually see?

c) Experiment with the degree of color. While doing this, make sure that both colors are in equal locations on
the scale. What colors are observed? Do they still fit into the same color family as the color observed in ‘b’?

5) Now we will be looking at mixing all three colors.


a. What color do you think the man will see when red, green and blue are all mixed together?

b. Turn on all three colors, all to the very top of the color scale. What does the man actually see?

Continued on the next page.


Part II – Use the Single Bulb Tab
1) Set the simulation to the following: bulb type – ‘white’, beam – ‘photons’, and filter color – ‘off’.
a) What is coming out of the bulb?

b) What color light does the man see?

2) Set the simulation to the following: bulb type – ‘white’, beam – ‘solid’, and filter color – ‘off’.
a) What is coming out of the bulb?

b) What color light does the man see?

3) Set the simulation to the following: bulb type – ‘white’, beam – ‘photons’, and filter color – ‘on’.
a) Choose any filter color. Record the color ____________________.
b) What is coming out of the bulb before the filter (in the area just in front of the filter)?

c) What is coming out after the filter?

d) What color light does the man see?

e) Choose another filter color. Record the color _____________________.


f) Repeat questions b-d (above). Please record your observations as you answer the questions.

g) What is the filter doing?

4) Set the simulation to the following: bulb type – ‘white’, beam – ‘solid, and filter color – ‘on’.
a) Choose any filter color. Record the color ____________________. Repeat questions b-d (from question 3
on the last page). Please record your observations as you answer the questions.

b) Choose another filter color. Record the color ____________________. Repeat questions b-d (from question
3 on the last page). Please record your observations as you answer the questions.

c) What are the differences between question 3 (photon setting) and question 4 (solid setting)?

d) What are the similarities between question 3 (photon setting) and question 4 (solid setting)?

Continued on the next page.


5) Set the simulation to the following: bulb type – ‘monochromatic, beam – ‘solid, and filter color – ‘on’.
a) Select a bulb color and a filter color that are different. Record the colors chosen below. What does the man
see?
Bulb Color: _____________________
Filter Color: _____________________

Color seen by the man:

b) Select a bulb color and a filter color that are the same. Record the colors chosen below. What does the man
see?
Bulb Color: _____________________
Filter Color: _____________________

Color seen by the man:

c) What is the filter doing?

Continued on the next page.

Common questions

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The simulation of color filtration with monochromatic light differs from white light as monochromatic light contains a single wavelength and color, whereas white light comprises all visible wavelengths. When a filter is applied to monochromatic light, the result is simply the filter either passing or blocking the singular wavelength, illustrating selective transmission. With white light, the filter blocks all wavelengths except for the desired filtered color, demonstrating the principle of subtractive color mixing .

Altering the intensity of two mixed colors, like red and blue, causes the resulting color to vary within a range of colors. When both colors are of equal intensity, they produce magenta. By adjusting the intensity, the resultant color can shift, for example, towards more red or more blue, demonstrating the nuances in additive color mixing .

The outcome of mixing different colored lights in a simulation relates closely to the functioning of screen displays, which utilize RGB color mixing. Screens create various colors by adjusting the intensity of red, green, and blue light across pixels. This principle enables high-resolution displays to reproduce a wide spectrum of colors, reflecting the real-world application of understanding RGB color relationships in electronic devices .

The simulation reveals that adjusting the intensity degrees of two primary colors affects perceived color within certain boundaries, like shifting hues or changing saturation levels. This interaction illustrates the complexities of color perception, where different balances of light intensity can lead to subtle variations in the visible outcome, reflecting the intricate nature of human vision and color synthesis .

When red, green, and blue lights are mixed together at full intensity, the resulting color perceived is white. This happens because the RGB color model is based on the additive color theory where combining the three primary colors of light in equal amounts produces white light .

Filters in a color vision simulation demonstrate subtractive color mixing by allowing only specific wavelengths to pass through while blocking others. This effect shows how subtractive mixing works by removing wavelengths, helping users visualize and understand how color perceptions alter when certain colors are absorbed or filtered out .

Changing the filter color in a simulation impacts the observed light by only allowing particular wavelengths to pass, altering the perceived color. This reveals that human color perception is dependent on the wavelengths reaching the eyes, providing insights into how our visual system detects and interprets specific color compositions through selective light filtration .

When using a monochromatic bulb with a color different from the filter color, the person perceives no light (black). This occurs because the filter blocks the specific wavelength emitted by the monochromatic bulb, demonstrating the principle that light must match the filter color to pass through .

Changing the beam setting from 'photons' to 'solid' does not alter the perceived color when a filter is applied, as both settings should yield the same apparent color after filtration. However, this similarity suggests that the simulation is designed to illustrate color filtering effects consistently across representations, focusing on how filters block specific wavelengths irrespective of light description .

Understanding additive color theory is crucial in interpreting RGB mixing results because it explains how different wavelengths of light combine to form new colors. Additive color theory highlights that combining different primary colors of light (red, green, blue) yields secondary colors and eventually white, offering insights into the foundational principles of digital displays and lighting technologies .

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