How are there more colours than we can see?

4.19K views

For example, [this colour wheel has 12 sections](https://www.spectrumnoir.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Colour-Wheel-2.jpg) and performs a full ‘loop’ for lack of a better term (i.e. starts at red, traverses to the polar opposite, and returns the natural way). We can see every one of these clearly, and every colour in between those two colours as it’s simple a mixture, or a mixture of a mixture, or so on. So how can a colour exist outside this wheel?

In: Biology

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Our eyes detect color through the number of cone cells we have. They’re photoreceptors, they capture wavelengths and we infer color from that. But we can only see as much as our eyes will let us. Other creatures (like the mantis shrimp for instance) have far more cone cells and therefore a wider range of possible colors to infer.

This color wheel was invented by us, based on only what we can see; it’s not something that taught us all the colors in existence.

You are viewing 1 out of 6 answers, click here to view all answers.