Re: Beats: quiz question

[Larry Woolf <Larry.Woolf@GAT.COM>]

Some additional information:

The frequency range over which the ear can hear varies by over a factor of
1000 (from about 20 Hz to about 20,000 Hz).  So the wavelength range over
which the ear can hear varies by a factor of 1000.  In contrast, the visible
region over which the eye can see extends from 400 to 700 nm, less than a
factor of 2.  In addition, the eye interprets multiple wavelengths of light
as a single color, whereas the ear can distinguish multiple frequencies.

Some web sites on human color vision:

http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/color/coloreff.htm

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/colviscon.html#c1

http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/modules/materialscience/color/sites.html


Larry Woolf; General Atomics; San Diego, CA 92121; Phone 858-455-4475;
www.sci-ed-ga.org

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Justin Parke
> Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 4:18 PM
> Subject: Re: Beats: quiz question
>
> In a message dated 2/12/2003 6:42:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> kphox wrote:
>
> > Today I put this question on a Waves test.
> >
> > 4. In color theory red light (4.8 x 1014 HZ) and green light (5.7 x 1014
> > Hz) combine to yield yellow. A student proposed that this is an example
> of
> > the beats phenomenon.
> > a. What would be the beat frequency of these colors? Would this be an
> > observable frequency?
> > b. Is the student justified in his hypothesis?
>
> I have thought about this in the past and, following wise advice from John
> D., found a helpful website whose URL I did not keep.