Teachers' Domain, More Than an Image, published September 26, 2003, retrieved on September 16, 2008,

One can argue that out of your 5 senses, the one we rely the most on in our modern life is your sense of sight.  Having a basic understanding of how your eyes perceive visible light and the millions of colors around us is amazing in its simplicity, yet we are only beginning to unravel the deep mysteries and secrets of how our brain processes visual information.

Color Mixing Lab Links

Why is the sky blue, but sunsets look red, sometimes even greenish?  How do rainbows form and why are the colors always in the order of ROY G BIV?  How many inks does it take anyway to print a full color page--do you have to buy 24 million distinct inks or is there a way to save money?  In this virtual lab you will explore some basic properties of visible light and how the human eye uniquely perceives color.  Enjoy! :)

Part 2: Mixing Colors: The Two Processes are Additive and Subtractive Mixing
Explore how mixing the proper amounts of the primary colors can produce any color your can see!  How about making a hot pink?  Lemon chartreuse?  

In this simulation you will explore how the additive process of color works--the secret is to realize additive color involves sources of light such as flashlights, candles, LCD screens, and spotlights!

In this simulation, you will explore how the subtractive process of color works--the secret is to realize subtractive color involves filters and absorbers of light such as paint, crayons, markers, pigments and dyes!

In this simulation, explore the different types of color blindness and how natural defects in human vision effect our perception of the world around us!

Pigments and dyes are responsible for most of the color that humans see in the real world. Books, magazines, signs, and billboards are printed with colored inks that create colors through the process of color subtraction. This interactive tutorial explores how individual subtractive primary colors can be separated from a full-color photograph, and then how they can be reassembled to create the original scene.