What is that Color ?
Easy… if you’re not colorblind…
…But if you are…
You will not see the same color that other people do.
We can easily simulate this with:
Some colored paper and special glasses.
Making-Up a Collection of Colors
– Use a piece of 8-1/2 x 11 inch white paper
– Cut out eight 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inch squares of various colored paper
– Glue the squares (using any appropriate adhesive)
Making-Up a Pair of Red Glasses:
We’ll need two pairs of 3-D Glasses to make one pair of Red Glasses
– Using a hobby knife, remove just the blue lens from one pair of 3-D Glasses
– With scissors, cut out the red lens from the other pair of 3-D Glasses
– Use tape (at top and bottom edges) to attach the red lens over the opening from where the blue lens was removed
Using the Red Glasses:
– Don’t let the subject see the sheet of color squares beforehand
– Have the subject put on the Red Glasses
– Give the sheet to the subject
– Ask the subject to name all the colors seen
This is what will be seen:
Now have the subject remove the glasses.
This is what will be seen:
For Additional Viewing…
Making Blue Glasses:
– This time add the blue lens you removed from the first pair of 3-D Glasses
– Add it to the opening on the second pair of 3-D Glasses
– Tape the blue lens onto the glasses
Now:
The same sheet seen through the BLUE Glasses
What we’ve illustrated are:
Simulations of colorblindness – not the ‘actuals’ since colorblindness takes many forms that result in multitudes of different visual interpretations of colors.
On the Internet:
– Do a search for ‘color blind’
– Images such as this are illustrated:
Without Red Glasses

People with normal color vision should see the number 6 in the circle
With Red Glasses
For Further Exploration:
Do library and Internet research on:
– Primary colors
– Secondary colors
– Mixing pigment colors
– Mixing light colors
http://colorvisiontesting.com/color2.htm
Marty Sagendorf is a retired physicist and teacher; he is a firm believer in the value of hands-on experiences when learning physics. He authored the book Physics Demonstration Apparatus. This amazing book is available from Educational Innovations – it includes ideas and construction details for the creation and use of a wide spectrum of awe-inspiring physics demonstrations and laboratory equipment. Included are 49 detailed sections describing hands-on apparatus illustrating mechanical, electrical, acoustical, thermal, optical, gravitational, and magnetic topics. This book also includes sections on tips and hints, materials sources, and reproducible labels.