This Week's Experiment - #239 Reversing Flag
This week's experiment is a result of my search for American flags. All the
stores are sold out and as I downloaded a flag to print out, I remembered
this interesting experiment. To try this, you will need:
a computer paint program
or some paper and crayons
First you need a picture of an American flag. Not just any picture of a
flag, but a very special one. We want a picture that has all of the wrong
colors. Instead of red, white and blue, we want a flag that is green, black
and yellow!
There are several ways to get this strange flag image. You can change a flag picture
that you already have on your computer or draw your own, either with a
computer drawing program, or with crayons or colored markers. You want the
blue part of the flag to be yellow, the red part of the flag to be green and
the white parts of the flag to be black.
Once you have this image, you are ready for the experiment. Stare at the
center of the flag and try to keep your eyes from wandering.
Keep staring at the flag for at least 20 seconds. The longer you stare, the
better this will work. After staring for a while, then look at a blank piece
of paper or a blank, white surface. You should see a glowing image of the
American flag, in its proper colors.
How does this work? When you look at something that is blue, the blue light
hitting the back of your eye releases a chemical that tells the nerves that
you are seeing something blue. As you stare at the blue for a long time,
these chemicals build up. Your eye gets "tired" of seeing blue and starts to
ignore it. Once your eye starts to ignore some of the blue light, then you
stare at a white sheet of paper. White light reflects from the paper and
enters your eye. Your eye ignores the blue part, and sees a yellow
afterimage instead. For each color that you stare at, you will see a
different, reverse afterimage color.
You can do this with other images too. If you live outside the United
States, try making a reverse image of your flag. An easy way to find out
which colors to use for your reverse image is to stare at a normal picture of
your flag. When you look at a blank, white surface, you will see a reverse
color image. Now, make a picture of the flag with those colors and you will
have a picture that will give you an afterimage in the true colors. If your
flag has small details or if you try this with some other image, be prepared
for the fact that small details do not work well. Your eye moves around too
much as you are staring, and the details get blurred. You will get the best
results with simple images, such as flags, rainbows (can you get all the
colors?), etc.
I have even found that sometimes the same thing happens with food. After
staring for a while at a plate containing a piece of chocolate cake, the
image suddenly shifts to that of an empty plate, accompanied by a wonderful
sensation in my mouth. This is an experiment that I highly recommend. In
fact, I think I will go try it right now.
From Robert Krampf's Science Education Company
PO Box 60982
Jacksonville, FL 32236-0982
904-388-6381
krampf@aol.com
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