MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

This article provides an overview of the physics and neurology of color perception that will be used to provide an explanation of the color constancy phenomenon. Color constancy is a phenomenon related to the visual perception system in which objects appear the same color despite different colored background light. For example, objects seen in the afternoon and at sunset appear to be the same color. However, the background light in the afternoon is white and the background light in the evening is red. Before delving into color constancy, I will discuss some basic properties of light: mainly the wave theory of light and the electromagnetic spectrum. From this point, I will discuss the physiology of the eye and some basic optics related to lenses. Using the eye’s physiology and light as a basis, I will propose various theories of color perception and discuss their weaknesses, focusing on the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory. The first section will place a particular emphasis on what the eye “thinks” about light and tells the brain. The last part of the document will elaborate on the theories discussed above to provide an explanation of color constancy, focusing on Edwin Land’s Retinex Theory.
Reader Profile: I am imagining a reader well versed in the theory of color perception who realizes that many of the theories and explanations given in this article simplify the complex process of color perception.
Paragraph: The information contained in this paper, but it is a simplification of more complex issues. You need to explicitly state that the Young-Helmholtz theory is a major simplification of the workings of the visual perception and that there are competing theories that lead to the same results described by the theory. Part of the reason why there are multiple valid theories lies in the simplifying assumptions of Young-Helmholtz theory. The fact that there must be simplifying assumptions is obvious considering the fact that Young-Helmholtz theory was developed in the 1800’s and there have been extraordinary advances in physiology and microbiology since then. Edwin Land’s Retinex Theory is also a major simplification of complex processes. The theory itself provides a basic theory of color constancy, but it is solely based upon a few simple observational experiments and does not rely on advances made concerning the physiology of the eye and the brain.

J -- you are right that an expert often will probe at a text that is intended for a more general audience. You can, however, address this in part by doing two things:

1) use metadiscouse to say that this presentation is a simplification and
2) refer audience to the most authoritative sources that will handle this in detail.

(Your expert will read these, and give you some accommodation.)
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How are your section headings coming?