Which wavelengths are visible to the human eye

The retina is lined with a variety of light sensing cells known as rods and cones. While the rods on the retina are sensitive to the intensity of light, they cannot distinguish between lights of different wavelengths. On the other hand, the cones are the color-sensing cells of the retina. When light of a given wavelength enters the eye and strikes the cones of the retina, a chemical reaction is activated that results in an electrical impulse being sent along nerves to the brain.

It is believed that there are three kinds of cones, each sensitive to its own range of wavelengths within the visible light spectrum. These three kinds of cones are referred to as red cones, green cones, and blue cones because of their respective sensitivity to the wavelengths of light that are associated with red, green and blue.

Since the red cone is sensitive to a range of wavelengths, it is not only activated by wavelengths of red light, but also to a lesser extent by wavelengths of orange light, yellow light and even green light. In the same manner, the green cone is most sensitive to wavelengths of light associated with the color green.

Yet the green cone can also be activated by wavelengths of light associated with the colors yellow and blue. The graphic below is a sensitivity curve that depicts the range of wavelengths and the sensitivity level for the three kinds of cones. The cone sensitivity curve shown above helps us to better understand our response to the light that is incident upon the retina.

While the response is activated by the physics of light waves, the response itself is both physiological and psychological. Suppose that white light - i. Upon striking the retina, the physiological occurs: photochemical reactions occur within the cones to produce electrical impulses that are sent along nerves to the brain.

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Visible Light. Retrieved [insert date - e. Science Mission Directorate. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. What is the visible light spectrum? Left Isaac Newton's experiment in showed that a prism bends visible light andthat each color refracts at a slightly different angle depending on the wavelength of the color. Credit: Troy Benesch. Right Each color in a rainbow corresponds to a different wavelength of electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic Spectrum Series Series Homepage. Infrared Waves.

Reflected Near-Infrared. Ultraviolet Waves. More simply, this range of wavelengths is called visible light. Typically, the human eye can detect wavelengths from to nanometers. Similarly, what color stands out the most to the human eye? The green color was created by analyzing the way the rods and cones in our eyes are stimulated by different wavelengths of light. The company found that the human eye is most sensitive to light at a wavelength of nanometers—a bright green.

The longest wavelengths around nanometers are red and the shortest wavelengths nanometers are violet. The human eye and brain work together to convert visible light energy into an electrical impulse that can be interpreted as an image. There are seven wavelength ranges within the visible spectrum that each correspond to a different color.

What is the range of wavelengths that contains colors visible to the human eye? Category: medical health eye and vision conditions. What color has the most energy? The color that has the most energy is violet. Since violet waves have the shortest wave length, they carry the most energy.

What color is hardest to see? Which Colour has the highest wavelength? What color has the highest frequency?