Color Perception - Physics Demonstrations - Color Perception | Physics Undergraduate Labs

Purpose

Demonstrates that color perception depends on surrounding context, not just wavelength. The same orange paper appears bright orange against black but brown against white, showing that the brain interprets color by comparing adjacent regions.

Orange origami paper square with fold creases on dark background, appearing bright and saturated

Same orange origami paper square on white background, appearing more brown or muted

Figure 1: Against a dark surround, the paper appears bright orange.

Figure 2: Against a white surround, the identical paper appears brown. The physical stimulus is unchanged.