How does the eye differentiate light of different wavelengths?

Answer 1

The human eye has 4 different photoreceptor molecules. In each case the photoreceptor is made of a chromophore that absorbs the light plus a protein that holds the chromophore.

The chromophore is always the same: 11-cis-retinaldehyde, a derivative of vitamin A.

The proteins, however, are slightly different. They are known as opsins, and there is opsin (found in rods) and red, green, and blue cone opsins (found in the cones).

It is the slight variability of the protein structure that 'tunes' the photoreceptor molecule to absorb photons of a particular wavelength. Thus, rod opsin is not so descriminating, and rods respond to the full range of wavelengths that we see. The other opsins tune the cones to respond to either red, green, or blue light - each cone only expresses one of the opsin genes and so it will only respond to that one color. So if you shine a green light into the eye, only the green cones respond, and you see green.

Additional neural processing in both the retina and the brain creates the full palette of colors that we are able to see by combining the information from the rods and the three cone types.

That is the basics, I guess. Wikipedia seems to have a pretty technical article on all this, but if you are interested you can probably find other less obtuse descriptions.

Answer 2

There are three types of photoreceptors (cones) in the eye that respond to color wavelengths. (Photoreceptors are cells in the retina that respond when stimulated by light.)

1) One responds primarily to long wavelengths (reds), the second to the medium wavelengths (greens), and the third to the short wavelengths (blues and purples).

2) These ranges overlap.

Given those two facts, any color (a light with a specific combination of wavelengths) in the visible spectrum stimulates those three cones in a unique way. In this way the eye can distinguish the different wavelengths.

Answer 3

There are different types of cells in the retina that each respond maximally to a particular frequency. The signals from all stimulated cells are processed by the brain which can then determine different what colour things are by combining information from different types of cells as well as the degree to which the cells have been stimulated.

Answer 4

Your 2d sentence isn't amazing. the sunshine "waves" that are concentrated by utilising the attention do attain the retina on a similar time. Its blindingly evident, for in the event that they did not the image could be out of concentration or on your terminology "blended up." of course you at the instant are not in the temper to assessment better than this.

Answer 5

its to do with the rods and cones inside the eye and the way light is refracted through the lens of the eye, a bit like looking at the new photo-chromatic paints available on modern cars, depending on which angle you look at them you will see they can show in up to 6 different metallic colours

Answer 6

It looks at the light and says "Hey! this light is not the same as that light I was looking at a few moments ago, it must be a different wavelength or something......er..... I better tell my friend Brain."
Or at least something along those lines anyway, I hope that helps you.

Answer 7

The eye sees them as different colours.

Answer 8

They don't....it's your brain that does the working out.....your eyes are just lenses