On 6/5/07, Tom Eigelsbach <eigelsbach@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Yeah -- Clear doesn't belong in the spectrum, and if it did, I'd place it between Red and Purple, just because in physics, they are the two ends of the visible spectrum, as the wee little wavicles go like so:
- Purple (380-435nm)
- Blue (435-500 nm)
- Cyan (500-520 nm)
- Green (520-565 nm)
- Yellow (565- 590 nm)
- Orange (590-625 nm)
- Red (625-740 nm)
By this logic, then clear goes perfectly in the middle.
Clear light (i.e., what most call "white light" but what isn't white at all - just look around.... do you see white color beams streaming around you?? No... there's nothing... the light is Clear) is a combination of all the colors of the spectrum put back together again.
In other words: an average.
So, the average of all those various wavelengths is:
Clear (560) { [380 + 740] / 2 }
OK... so it's "technically" green. But a very wimpy green and a mostly yellow/green - but not yellow yet, so it's clear.
How's that for logic?
Remember... I used to teach science to kids. Lucky that it was mostly bio and chem, with very little physics. But yeah - I'd toss out things like this and the kids would get into such great "arguments" with each other trying to prove that clear light doesn't exist, that it's white light... and be so wrapped up in trying to prove their point that they didn't realize they were learning science along the way. There are days I miss such things.... but then I remember "Parent Teacher Nights" and all the grading I used to have to do.... and I thank the stars (and all their clear light) for my current job.
Anyway (now just babbling while half asleep at 3 a.m. after having gotten up to go to the bathroom and then having stopped at the computer on the way back to bed...), I was thinking of what Homeworlds would be like for color-blind folks, and how the mapping could go using White, Black, Clear, and Grey. heh heh heh
Not another color debate! Aarrrggghhhh!!! :) Someone tie up TV Tom now!! Or at least take away his tie-dye socks and restrict him to only B&W TV for the rest of his life!!
:)
Carol
(hmmm.... Black would obviously correspond to Blue.... darkest shade..... aaahhhrrrhh! He's got me doing it now!! AAahhhh! Aaaahhhhh!! Run now!!)