11-001-RGBModel

This modeling scenario begins with a very simplified model of color based on the physiology of the human eye. Our goal is understanding how colored gels work and we start with two competing theories or models for how they work. This is a very common situation - we often have two or more possible models and need to choose the better model. Working with three colored gels -- red, green and blue -- we devise experiments that enable us to choose the better of our two models. Then we add three more colored gels -- cyan, magenta and yellow -- and we challenge our chosen model by seeing if it can explain new experiments and observations. At the end of this hour we will have lived a simple example of the life of a scientist.