Colour vision

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/colour-vision

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the opponent-process theory?Suggests color vision operates via opposing channels: red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white (luminance)
2. What is the common deficiencies?Red-green color blindness (deuteranopia, protanopia) is the most prevalent form, often X-linked
3. What are the three types of cone cells in our eyes?Our eyes have L-cones, M-cones, and S-cones. L-cones are sensitive to long wavelengths (red), M-cones to medium wavelengths (green), and S-cones to short wavelengths (blue).
4. How do our eyes turn light into colors?When light hits a cone cell, it starts a chemical chain reaction inside the cell. This reaction changes the cell’s electrical signal, which is then sent to the brain to be interpreted as a color.

Scotopic Vision: Vision in low-light conditions, primarily mediated by rod cells, which do not perceive color.
Photopic Vision: Vision in bright-light conditions, mediated by cone cells, responsible for color perception.
Spectral Overlap: The overlapping sensitivity ranges of different cone types, enabling the brain to distinguish a wide spectrum of colors.