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Fechner’s Colors and Behnam’s Top

  • Reference work entry
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Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology

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Synonyms

Behnam’s disk; Fechner-Behnam subjective color; Illusory colors; Pattern-induced flicker colors; Subjective colors

Definitions

Fechner colors refer to the illusory colors that result from the repeated flashing of black and white patterns. These colors are often referred to as Fechner colors after their discoverer. Behnam’s top is a pattern of spinning patterns developed for a spinning disk to create these illusory colors that have become a standard.

Basic Phenomenon and History

Fechner colors refer to the creation of illusory or subjective colors through an alternating pattern of black and white stimulus. Fechner reported the discovery of this illusion in an 1838 paper, and his name has been given to these illusory colors. The discovery was accidental as Fechner at the time was involved in the creation of disks to create different shades of gray [1]. From the beginning, a spinning disk was the means for creating these illusory colors. There were several studies throughout the...

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References

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  2. Behnam, C.E.: The artificial spectrum top. Nature 51, 200 (1894)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Sciences, Department of Psychology, Hanover College, P.O. Box 890, Hanover, IN, 47243, USA

    John H. Krantz

Authors
  1. John H. Krantz
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Correspondence to John H. Krantz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Modern, Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Ming Ronnier Luo

  2. School of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Ming Ronnier Luo

  3. Graduate Institute of Colour and Illumination, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Ming Ronnier Luo

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Krantz, J.H. (2016). Fechner’s Colors and Behnam’s Top. In: Luo, M.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8071-7_65

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