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Color perception



Craig Bingman has taken an unyielding position on "Yellow color substances"
in aquarium water. Boy, folks who think they know everything are really
annoying to those of us who do.  (G D & R)

Hey, guys, before we get on a flaming thread of deciding who is color blind,
etc., perhaps we should get our color measurements done with instruments
OTHER THAN the human eye? This is getting a bit judgmental and harsh, and
somehow the principle that "Men of Good Will CAN Disagree." is getting lost.

Gelbstoff does exist, in many waters.  I think we can agree there. We seem to
disagree as to whether it is always present in "populated waters"  to the
extent that it is clearly visible to anyone who will just look. 

I have spent a great deal of my professional life dealing with color, both as
MEASURED and as PERCEIVED. One of our illustrations was the "Light Box,"
invented by Iowa State University Extension Interior Design Professor Lois
Warme. This "box" had eight "holes" in the front, and various combinations of
materials were viewed by the audiences. The same materials were in EACH AND
EVERY "hole," but they appeared so dramatically different that people could
not accept the reality that they were, in fact, identical.  Then we would
pull out the board and let the audience see ALL OF THE SAMPLES in the ambient
room light. Yes, they WERE identical.  The light sources in the eight holes
were different, that was all. The "color temperature" of the light source
makes a great deal of difference when judging both the reflected and
transparency color of objects and liquids. If the blue spectrum is not
present, there is no way in Hell you can REALLY "see" blue in a bucket of
water.  Indeed, I can show you some paintings with clearly "blue" skies, when
THERE IS NO BLUE AT ALL IN THE PAINTING. None at all.  Mask off the rest of
the painting and look at the area that is "Blue" and you see - - well, I will
not tell you what you see, but it is NOT blue!! 

I have seen no SCIENTIFIC, VALID data using colorimetric meters, etc, to
justify the statement that pure water in a white bucket looks blue. The rest
of us may NOT BE THE COLORBLIND person here!  :-/

This is getting awfully close to arguing about how many Angels can dance on
the head of a pin. 

Could we either change the subject, or if we cannot, could we perhaps simply
realize that opinions of honest men differ in this area?  Just because
someone does not agree with you is NOT evidence that they are color blind.
:-)