Publication | Closed Access
The number of discernible colours
160
Citations
0
References
1998
Year
The literature offers no reliable estimate of how many colours the eye can distinguish, despite a frequently cited claim of 10 million surface colours under optimal conditions. The paper reviews historical attempts to determine the number of discernible colours and proposes a realistic solution. It does this by summarizing past approaches and suggesting a practical method. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
How many colours can the eye distinguish? The published literature is remarkably inefficient at providing an answer to this important question. An often quoted reference states that "10 million surface colours can be distinguished by the normal human eye under optimum observing conditions." Unfortunately, the authors fail to provide any further information as to the origin of this figure. This short contribution describes some of the historical attempts at answering the question, and then suggests a realistic solution. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Col Res Appl, 23, 52–54, 1998