I read the exploratorium's article AFTERIMAGE and I must ask, who is the Exploratorium and what is their field of expertise?
I realize this article stemmed from Paul Hewitt's Conceptual Physics Lab Manual of which I will be checking out. According to my own extensive research and experiments on afterimages, your article contains many errors and no doubt Paul Hewitt's errors.
If you want to cross the scientific threshold of what is known regarding afterimages begin with increasing light's intensity to the eyes and use an absolute steady blinkless gaze on an external colorful object that reflects light well in order to view dominent negative afterimages with control. Much depends on one's eye's sensitivity to light (sun glasses, hats vs none), the color of the iris (brown absorbs best excess stray light).
Once more experiments are done with negative afterimages, the missing links to explain vision will become common knowledge. For example the statement, "The afterimage is not actually on either surface (wall or hand), but on your retina..." is in error as well as, "The actual afterimage does not change size; only your interpretation of its size changes." is likewise an error of perception. Furthermore by afterimage experiments, science will come to know that the true function of the retina is that of a "developer" that chemically changes the incoming positive light waves into negative light waves and when the negative light waves once again meets the external positive light waves an interference pattern is created and BINGO....you have SIGHT !
I know what I'm talking about. I have completed a 724 pg manuscript, 24 Chapters explaining my experience with NEGATIVE AFTERIMAGES, my experiments, my research resulting in my theme to show humanity the vital role our perceptions play in life using my visual phenomena as examples resulting in a totally new theory of vision, as well as giving science a stepping stone to develop a new holographic microscope stemming from man's ability to use their naked eye as a microscope....SCIENCE SAYS THE HUMAN EYE CAN NOT SEE ANYTHING CLOSER THAN 2" FROM THE EYE...they are in error.
Mary Johnston
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Mon Apr 24 2006 - 11:34:51 PDT