Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: latebind on 18/06/2009 23:56:43

Title: What does the world really look like?
Post by: latebind on 18/06/2009 23:56:43

We perceive only a fraction of the light waves zooming about us every day, I wonder what the world would look like if we could see it the way it really is (which is probably chaotic)

Title: What does the world really look like?
Post by: Soul Surfer on 19/06/2009 08:48:57

Much the same as we see it now.  The fraction of light that we see is a very good representation of what the world looks like at optical frequencies.  However of we looked over different frequency ranges we would see different things.  Infra red is easy because modern video cameras show us that. Other frequencies are more difficult.  Of course as the frequency drops to microwave and radio frequencies the details become more indistinct because the resolution is normally limited to around the wavelength of the radiation.  Modern radars can produce quite good images of ships. If we go up to x rays and gamma rays it is possible to "see" the structures and arrangements of atoms and even inside nuclei themselves.  there are also quite a lot of frequencies where the world is very "foggy" and you can't see very far notably the very long infra red frequencies and the further ultraviolet frequencies

Title: What does the world really look like?
Post by: lyner on 19/06/2009 12:56:37

The surfaces of things (objects) would look different because we would 'see' colours in a different way - to include UV and IR etc. and there would be some visible patterns which, at the moment, are only seen by insects and other animals. Also, we might see atmospheric phenomena (i.e. through air) slightly differently because we would see the effects of air on UV and would see IR being affected by clouds.
Our perception of the spatial layout of things would be much the same though.