Sci/Tech Does the Color Pink Exist? Scientists Aren’t Sure

[Nigerianrulz]

Okay, soo..
Color we see is interpreted by the cone cells in our eyes.
Or light hitting the cone cells causes a chemical reaction that sends a signal to the brain that interprets it as color or something.

When the "scientists" of this article said there was no "pink"; they meant that the "red" wavelengths and "violet" wavelengths of light weren't adjacent to each other. So there is no "in-between" wavelength that would produce pink.

However, color is perceived by our cone cells and brain.
So..
Red light hits cone cell..
Violet light hits cone cell..
Both signals are sent to brain..
Pink is perceived?

So..
The wavelengths don't have to "mix", they just have to hit the cone cells at the same time and get perceived..
Right?

(Off-topic: my hamster's cage is pink)

Also, that is kinda' creepy when I think about it =/
For all I know, what I see as green might be different from other people's green <.<
We could live our lives pointing to an object and saying it's green when our brain sees a different color ;O

you said it before the colours that we see are merely different wavelengths of photons traveling at different frequencies, now im no expert on this so im not even sure that absolutely right but as that video said before there are the colour spectrum that white light can be split into however the colour between red and violet exists as wavelenghts that our visible eyes cannot see or comprehend, hence our brain thinks that there must be some kind of colour in between those and fills in the blank. Now if i show you this video about how humans like to fill in the gaps when it comes to these kind of things you will understand what im talking about.

[video=youtube;mf5otGNbkuc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf5otGNbkuc[/video]

this video is kind of relevant and kind of not, what im trying to say is our brain will "make up" stuff when its missing, it just helps in our survival and stuff too much to explain haha. Forgive me if im not didnt do physics in high school, only did chemistry

 

[MasterOfRa]

I don't believe that colors really exist, and that they are just an illusion.

 

[FireCat]

I don't believe that colors really exist, and that they are just an illusion.

How can colors be an Illusion?

 

[phyrex1an]

but as that video said before there are the colour spectrum that white light can be split into however the colour between red and violet exists as wavelenghts that our visible eyes cannot see or comprehend, hence our brain thinks that there must be some kind of colour in between those and fills in the blank.

Protip: That part of the video has no basis in reality. Absence of color (or rather, to little light with wavelength between 400nm and 700nm) is perceived as darkness, not pink. We can see every wavelength of light between 400nm and 700nm.

What the video author is trying to say (and fails horribly with) is that there is no monochromatic light (light of just one wavelength) that we perceive as pink. This is true for a whole lot of colors, pink just happens to be one of those which have a name in English (magenta is another and so is grey, white and black).

 

[Slapshot136]

How can colors be an Illusion?

what is "color" if not an electromagnetic wave with a wavelength between 400 and 700nm? can color exist without light? then light is what creates "color", but light is nothing except an EM wave, and "color" is a particular kind of EM wave - the kind we humans can see - color to someone with different "eyes" that perceive more or less would be very different (maybe some eyes can see ultraviolet or infrared light) - therefore our "color" is defined only for what we can see, which is an illusion of creating a reality based upon only our limited senses, instead of what actually exists (the full EM spectrum)

 

[FireCat]

can color exist without light?

Hmm, I do agree to some extent with what you're saying. But color "does exists" you Just can't see it in total darkness.
Well, that's no wonder!

 

[rover2341]

dont they have cameras that can record in color in total darkness?

 

[Slapshot136]

But color "does exists" you Just can't see it in total darkness.

isn't color something that exists only in the context of sight? i.e. if we couldn't see, there would be no color?

 

[FireCat]

i.e. if we couldn't see, there would be no color?

Even if we couldn't see, it doesn't mean that the color isn't there.

 

[Accname]

Color is nothing but an idea we defined, if we cant see it it still exists, but if we couldnt see in the first place, human beings without eyes but other sensorical senses the idea of color wouldnt be there and therefor non-existant. At least to us.

 

[Prometheus]

Color is nothing but an idea we defined, if we cant see it it still exists, but if we couldnt see in the first place, human beings without eyes but other sensorical senses the idea of color wouldnt be there and therefor non-existant. At least to us.

Color is our definition of a natural process. Even if we could only see x-rays, our technology would reach a point where we'd be able to view standard light.

 

[Accname]

Our technology might be able to detect lightwaves but the idea of color would still be nonexistant.
Of course, even then, different kinds of wave lengths and amplitudes for the light would be existant but their interpretation would be completely different then that of colour. It would just be a scientific value and not a piece of art and a trigger for emotions.

 

[FireCat]

Our technology might be able to detect lightwaves but the idea of color would still be nonexistant.
Of course, even then, different kinds of wave lengths and amplitudes for the light would be existant but their interpretation would be completely different then that of colour. It would just be a scientific value and not a piece of art and a trigger for emotions.

What about light and darkness hmm does it really exist?

 

[Slapshot136]

What about light and darkness hmm does it really exist?

conceptually yes, the dark side of the force is evil and sith, while the light side is the side of the jedi

physically, light is an phenomenon created by photons, so yes it (can) exist, and darkness is the lack of such, so that (can) exists as well - they aren't defined in terms of how much, just that one is more then the other

Accname did a good job of explaining it - it doesn't exists, it's only something that was created to make things easier to understand/explain (wavelengths/etc.), only that it doesn't exist - thing about how you would explain color to a blind person, who has never seen it - it would be easier to explain energy waves of different wavelengths because those exist and have properties that can be explained, while color is a vague idea. - if in the future humans develop the ability to see infrared or ultraviolet, would there be new colors added? I would say so, which leads to the definition of color being based upon what we see, which can change, therefore it's not something that exists, only something that can be observed

 

[Fatmankev]

Pink's a lousy color anyways, so why does it even matter?

 

[DM Cross]

Do scientists really have nothing better to do than be straight-up-retarded?

[That's a military term, apparently, by the way. Straight up retarded. I was briefed]

 

[phyrex1an]

Do scientists really have nothing better to do than be straight-up-retarded?

You missed the part where it was an artist who started all this No scientists involved as of yet, they have indeed better things to do.

We science fans love to bitch about it though

 

[DM Cross]

Misleading thread title is misleading, then.

"Scientists aren't sure".

 

[Accname]

[...]

We science fans love to bitch about it though

We love to bitch about pretty much anything on these forums, especially me, but especially everybody else.

 

[Varine]

What about light and darkness hmm does it really exist?

Light exists - light more or less IS color. Darkness is just a label for lack of light. And light in itself is just a label for the visible electromagnetic waves. Color is the reflection of those waves off of objects.