Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Rods and Cones Process Light – (“EYE” SEE A REWARD !)

The retina (in your eyeball) uses special cells called rods and cones to process light.  Rods see in black, white, and shades of gray and tell us the form or shape that something has.  Rods can't tell the difference between colors, but they are super-sensitive, allowing us to see when it's very dark.  Cones sense color and they need more light than rods to work well. Cones are most helpful in normal or bright light.  For a REWARD, do some research to find out the following.  Answers are due by class on Thursday.
  • The retina has three types of cones and they are sensitive to what three colors?
  • Rods and cones are also called “photo_______________”
  • Does the human eye have more rods or more cones?
  • Color-blindness is the absence of a particular type of cone or weakness in the function of cones.  Is color-blindness more common in males or females?