My Experiment
First Name: Serina Last Name: Chavez Occupation: Colour Scientist
Chemistry Exhibition Planner 2013
Chemistry Exhibition Planner 2013
Project Design:
Essential Question: Since colours have individual effects on your mind/mood, what will the effect on your mood be with all the colours of the visible light spectrum and how do mixtures of colours (white light; purple) affect your mood versus the colours individually (rainbow; red & blue)?
Hypothesis: I believe the mixtures of colours to have a different effect on your mind/mood than the colours individually.
Purpose: Colour seems to me like a very natural healer and mental stimulant. I want to be knowledgeable of the effect that colours have on your mood so I can use them (apply them) as needed for positive effects. I am hoping that I can generally improve life by applying my knowledge of colour. I believe that the more we understand colour, the more we can appreciate the joy it brings to our lives and the better use we can make of it.
How will your project address your Essential Question?
I will test someone in a room with all the colours of the visible light spectrum individually and mixed together so I can see the difference in having them mixed and see the effect on the mood of all the colours together.
How will you design your project to support your Hypothesis?
I will test people in the rooms where the colours are mixed and where the colours are separate. I will be able to determine whether the mixtures affect the mind differently by looking at the differences (if any) in the time it takes for the people to complete the tests. The colours of the room are below:
Room 1: rainbow Room 2: white
Room 3: half blue half red Room 4: purple
What is your goal?
My goal is to fully understand and teach the effects of colour so I, and others, can apply it in real life and generally make environments more enjoyable.
Procedure:
I am going to film and time the people who answer my math problem in the coloured rooms. I will also ask the people after being in the room how they felt when answering the problem.
How will you Analyze your data? What do you hope to Conclude?
I will measure the difference (if any) of effect on the mind/mood that a mixture of colours can have versus the colours individually. If there is little or no difference in how much time the people take to answer the math problem in the rooms where the colours are individually distinguishable (red & blue room; rainbow room) versus the rooms where they are mixed (purple room; white room) then my hypothesis is incorrect and the effect on your mind/mood from the colours doesn’t change when the colours are mixed. If there is a noticeable difference in the times then my hypothesis is correct and whether the colours are mixed or not does make a difference in your mind/mood. I will also observe the effect that all the colours of the visible light spectrum have on your mood by questioning the people who have been in there afterwards.
What will your final product be? What will you Exhibit on Thursday December 19th?
Using a chart, I will first teach people the basics of colour sciences, their effects on the mind, and about white light. I will then explain my question, hypothesis, and test and explain my results. I am going to try to create a collage with all my work for the test (including photos) with my results/conclusion in the center. In addition to this, I will have a little room or box that the people can look into that has a demonstration/copy of Newton’s test with glass prisms and white light where he refracted the light into the rainbow. I will refer to this while I explain my hypothesis and white light but I will also have a paper with an explanation on the box/room.
Research (you don’t have to read all this):
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.
Essential Question: Since colours have individual effects on your mind/mood, what will the effect on your mood be with all the colours of the visible light spectrum and how do mixtures of colours (white light; purple) affect your mood versus the colours individually (rainbow; red & blue)?
Hypothesis: I believe the mixtures of colours to have a different effect on your mind/mood than the colours individually.
Purpose: Colour seems to me like a very natural healer and mental stimulant. I want to be knowledgeable of the effect that colours have on your mood so I can use them (apply them) as needed for positive effects. I am hoping that I can generally improve life by applying my knowledge of colour. I believe that the more we understand colour, the more we can appreciate the joy it brings to our lives and the better use we can make of it.
How will your project address your Essential Question?
I will test someone in a room with all the colours of the visible light spectrum individually and mixed together so I can see the difference in having them mixed and see the effect on the mood of all the colours together.
How will you design your project to support your Hypothesis?
I will test people in the rooms where the colours are mixed and where the colours are separate. I will be able to determine whether the mixtures affect the mind differently by looking at the differences (if any) in the time it takes for the people to complete the tests. The colours of the room are below:
Room 1: rainbow Room 2: white
Room 3: half blue half red Room 4: purple
What is your goal?
My goal is to fully understand and teach the effects of colour so I, and others, can apply it in real life and generally make environments more enjoyable.
Procedure:
- Write and send out an email to sophomores asking for 6 people who got an A in math on last report card/progress report.
- Get necessary materials (below)
- Write/find two math problems that are different but of equal difficulty (talk to Mrs. Strong?)
- Paint strips of butcher paper the following ways: 4 pieces in a striped rainbow pattern, 4 pieces purple, 2 pieces red, and 2 pieces blue.
- Hang (or set) up 4 rainbow papers to partition a small room and 4 white pieces of butcher paper to partition another one.
- Test 3 people with one of the math problems first in rainbow room, then the other in the white room. Before they attempt to solve the math problem though, have them sit in room for one minute. Time how long it takes to solve math problem and video record them and then interview them about mood/feeling afterwards.
- Take down rainbow and white butcher papers.
- Repeat steps 5-7 but with the blue and red papers creating one room and the purple creating the other. Use different people but same math problems.
- Paint (rainbow colours)
- UV Light (already owned)
- glass prisms (already bought)
- white butcher paper
- big to medium sized box
- Poster board or something sufficient for collage
I am going to film and time the people who answer my math problem in the coloured rooms. I will also ask the people after being in the room how they felt when answering the problem.
How will you Analyze your data? What do you hope to Conclude?
I will measure the difference (if any) of effect on the mind/mood that a mixture of colours can have versus the colours individually. If there is little or no difference in how much time the people take to answer the math problem in the rooms where the colours are individually distinguishable (red & blue room; rainbow room) versus the rooms where they are mixed (purple room; white room) then my hypothesis is incorrect and the effect on your mind/mood from the colours doesn’t change when the colours are mixed. If there is a noticeable difference in the times then my hypothesis is correct and whether the colours are mixed or not does make a difference in your mind/mood. I will also observe the effect that all the colours of the visible light spectrum have on your mood by questioning the people who have been in there afterwards.
What will your final product be? What will you Exhibit on Thursday December 19th?
Using a chart, I will first teach people the basics of colour sciences, their effects on the mind, and about white light. I will then explain my question, hypothesis, and test and explain my results. I am going to try to create a collage with all my work for the test (including photos) with my results/conclusion in the center. In addition to this, I will have a little room or box that the people can look into that has a demonstration/copy of Newton’s test with glass prisms and white light where he refracted the light into the rainbow. I will refer to this while I explain my hypothesis and white light but I will also have a paper with an explanation on the box/room.
Research (you don’t have to read all this):
- “From White Light to Rainbow Brite!” - Newton’s Experiment
- The colour that we see is not actually the real colour of the object. Colour is nothing but a frequency. No such thing as real colour. Colour is actually a vibration.
- In 1666, English scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that when pure white light passes through a prism, it separates into all of the visible colors. Newton also found that each color is made up of a single wavelength and cannot be separated any further into other colors.
- Sir Issac Newton set up a prism near his window, and projected a beautiful spectrum 22 feet onto the far wall. Further, to prove that the prism was not coloring the light, he refracted the light back together.
- Chromotherapy (sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology) is the use of colours to heal. It has been used by the several ancient cultures and is still used today.
- Research has demonstrated in many cases that the mood-altering effects of color may only be temporary. A blue room may initially cause feelings of calm, but the effect dissipates after a short period of time.
- We never perceive colour without the modifying influences of psychological and symbolic factors. Color is something we see, but we adjust what we see based on our experiences. Because our experiences occur within the context of the culture we live in, we develop symbolic ways of sensing color. These differ from culture to culture. For example, white is associated with death in Japan, while for most Westerners it immediately calls to mind purity.
- RED is the longest visible wavelength which makes it the most attention grabbing and powerful. It sometimes gives the illusion of being closer than it really is. It also has a lot of physical power. It can raise our pulse rate and cause impatience or activate “fight or flight”. It can be very lively and friendly but also demanding and aggressive.
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.
- BLUE is the colour of the mind, intellect, and calmness. It has a more mental effect giving us a lighter, less heavy feeling and clear thought/concentration. Blue is also the colour of communication but at the same time induce coldness, unfriendliness, and the lack of emotion.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.
- YELLOW tends to have very emotional effects. This makes it essencially the strongest colour of psychology. Unlike some other colours though, the tone matters a lot. The right tone can cause feelings of confidence and high self-esteem but the wrong tones can cause the opposite.
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.
- The way GREEN light is seen by the eye requires no adjustment whatsoever therefore creating restfulness. Being in the centre of the visual spectrum, it signifies balance in all forms (something that is more important than commonly realized). It tends to be reassuring to the human senses as it was the colour of plenty and prosperity when survival was harder than it is now.
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.
- VIOLET (or purple) is the shortest visible wavelength. It is associated with two main concepts. One being spirituality and awareness and two being royalty or high quality. The colour encourages deepness which includes thoughts and introversion. It is also associated with time, space, and the cosmos.
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.
- ORANGE, because of its mix between red and yellow, creates a both physical and emotional affect. It focuses our mind on physical and sensual comfort. In other words, a ‘fun’ colour. But, when used with black, it can cause a feeling of deprivation.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.
- PINK, being mainly red but a different tint, also has a physical effect but in a not so stimulating way. It tends to soothe stimulants rather than create or increase. As most people know, it is very feminine and looked at more positively by females but more negatively by males.
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.
- GREY tends to have mainly negative properties/affects. It tends to indicate and encourage depression and/or sadness.
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.
- BLACK is, by most people, not considered a colour. This is because it absorbs all other colours, it being basically an absence of light. It is a colour of security, power, clarity, and sophistication but it can also be a colour of menace and fear.
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.
- WHITE, like black, is also not normally considered as a colour. It, oppositely, reflects all colours making it the brightest of all making it sometimes a strain to look at it. White is generally the colour of purity and cleanliness which can be perceived as a positive or negative thing.
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
- BROWN is a mix between red, yellow, and black. Being mainly black (and very dark) it has a lot of the same seriousness and order but in a more warm and calming way. It gives associations with the earth and nature and can be found to give a feeling of order and support.
Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.
- Each colour has their own effects on your mood. Mixes of colours, all the better. Most of the time they give you a mix of the moods from the colours that make it but sometimes is has its individual one. That is when it gets really interesting.
- For most people, one of the first decisions of the day concerns color harmony. What am I going to wear? This question is answered not only by choosing a style and fabric appropriate to the season, but by making the right color choices. And it goes on from there. Whether you're designing a new kitchen, wrapping a present or creating a bar chart, the colors you choose greatly affect your final results.