tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678732.post5725813849003464040..comments2023-07-31T10:39:53.182-05:00Comments on The Blog of the American Chesterton Society: Dr. Thursday's PostNancy C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06169395014931291729noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678732.post-72286084198095077852008-02-15T13:19:00.000-06:002008-02-15T13:19:00.000-06:00I am also curious because it seems as if some peop...I am also curious because it seems as if some people are more color conscious that other people.<BR/><BR/>My husband, for example, is often consulted about his color expertise. He seems to see more color variation than others.<BR/><BR/>In addition, my daughter noticed that she sees different colors with her different eyes (they appear different shades) and when we mentioned this to the eye doctor, she merely agreed, and said my daughter was particularly attentive to this, but that it was perfectly normal.<BR/><BR/>Individual variations, but still interesting to observe.Nancy C. Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06169395014931291729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678732.post-16465331561439586412008-02-14T18:01:00.000-06:002008-02-14T18:01:00.000-06:00One other curiosity: In a certain sense (no pun in...One other curiosity: In a certain sense (no pun intended) when we have two colors which precisely invert signals of the three kinds of cone cells, we consider them "complementary colors" - graphics people usually term them red vs. cyan, yellow vs. blue, green vs. magenta. This is more akin to the effects of the famous "circle of fifths" than to "octaves", but it is still curious - one might have some fun mapping the audio circle to the video circle... let me know if you try it.<BR/><BR/>--Dr. ThursdayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678732.post-4875549731484245392008-02-14T17:53:00.000-06:002008-02-14T17:53:00.000-06:00The two detection schemes in use (ear vs. eye) see...The two detection schemes in use (ear vs. eye) seem to be too dissimilar to permit such a thing. Here is a gross over-simplification:<BR/><BR/>In the eye, color is detected by three different sensory compounds in three different kinds of cone - and that's all. The relative "pitch" is a complex "comparison" of the three inputs from the three varieties of cone (color detectors) in the retina.<BR/><BR/>In the ear, pitch is detected by a "tuned" array of hairs in the cochlea, vibrating in synchrony. The octave of a given pitch is a doubling or halving of the frequency, and these are related physically, as a note makes a string vibrate - halving its length doubles its frequency.<BR/><BR/>But that does NOT work for the "pitches" of light - the chemicals are tuned absolutely (by the electronic arrangement of the color-sense chemicals) to a specific frequency; they detect a "range" centered on that specific "note" - so (for example) a given "yellow" is "read" as "this much red, that much green".<BR/><BR/>If we were to "see" outside the visual "octave" - e.g. infrared or ultraviolet - there would have to be other chemicals to sense these pitches (as, I think, some insects have). By this reasoning, then we would "see" a whole NEW color for an octave shift... as (I am told) some with perfect pitch actually discern within sounds.<BR/><BR/>Note: I would be delighted to hear from physiologists who really know about this and can direct us to additional detail... it is MOST wonderful to ponder.<BR/><BR/>--Dr. Thursday<BR/><BR/>PS: there are such things as chemical "transposers" of light - the real name for them is "fluorescent materials" - e.g. <A HREF="http://francesblogg.blogspot.com/2005/10/light-from-rosary-part-2.html" REL="nofollow"><I>lapis solaris</I></A>, some forms of calcite and other minerals, zinc sulfide (with certain impurities) and so on. Any nearby fluorescent light tube is "transposing" the "ultraviolet pitches" into the visible "octave"... Which is very cool to consider, given my topic, because it is a physical example of "light from light"!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678732.post-5121822852960262102008-02-14T09:26:00.000-06:002008-02-14T09:26:00.000-06:00Here's something I've wondered about for years. Th...Here's something I've wondered about for years. The human ear can recognize corresponding notes in different octaves. If we could see more than one "octave" of light, would we recognize corresponding colors in those other octaves? Would we observe "color scales" in which red, orange, yellow, etc are repeated -- different yet somehow the same? I can't imagine how the hypothesis could ever be tested, but the question continues to tantalize.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com