The colour of an object is a subjective sensation produced by a series of phenomena connected to the interaction between matter and electromagnetic waves. Our eyes incessantly convey images and information to us, but hardly ever do we stop to consider their physical origin. We are enchanted by the colours of spring, we marvel at the beauty of a butterfly’s wings, we are carried away by the sight of a picture and yet we ignore that these sights are the result of the interaction between light in the environment and the material of the bodies’ surface. Such an attitude originates spontaneous explanatory hypotheses which tend to take root, such as those of colour being one of the properties of an object and light being a neutral entity which gives luminosity to objects. This position does not allow a scientific approach to reality and therefore it does not allow quantification of the phenomena. Unfortunately scientific models of phenomena often require mathematical or geometrical formalism, and therefore they are often seen by the students as being an end in themselves, having no evidence in reality and no practical use; for this reason, they may not be considered to represent an actual advance in learning.Art is probably the most suitable context to introduce the phenomena connected to light-matter interaction, since painters know well - at least from a practical point of view - that the final result of their work is given by their capability to control these phenomena.

Physics and Art: introducing light-matter interaction by looking at famous paintings / Corni, Federico; Ottaviani, Giampiero. - STAMPA. - (2005), pp. 35-38.

Physics and Art: introducing light-matter interaction by looking at famous paintings

CORNI, Federico;OTTAVIANI, Giampiero
2005

Abstract

The colour of an object is a subjective sensation produced by a series of phenomena connected to the interaction between matter and electromagnetic waves. Our eyes incessantly convey images and information to us, but hardly ever do we stop to consider their physical origin. We are enchanted by the colours of spring, we marvel at the beauty of a butterfly’s wings, we are carried away by the sight of a picture and yet we ignore that these sights are the result of the interaction between light in the environment and the material of the bodies’ surface. Such an attitude originates spontaneous explanatory hypotheses which tend to take root, such as those of colour being one of the properties of an object and light being a neutral entity which gives luminosity to objects. This position does not allow a scientific approach to reality and therefore it does not allow quantification of the phenomena. Unfortunately scientific models of phenomena often require mathematical or geometrical formalism, and therefore they are often seen by the students as being an end in themselves, having no evidence in reality and no practical use; for this reason, they may not be considered to represent an actual advance in learning.Art is probably the most suitable context to introduce the phenomena connected to light-matter interaction, since painters know well - at least from a practical point of view - that the final result of their work is given by their capability to control these phenomena.
2005
Physics Teaching and Learning, GIREP book of selected papers, dedicated to the memory of professor Arturo Loria
9788884202802
FORUM
ITALIA
Physics and Art: introducing light-matter interaction by looking at famous paintings / Corni, Federico; Ottaviani, Giampiero. - STAMPA. - (2005), pp. 35-38.
Corni, Federico; Ottaviani, Giampiero
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Loria - Arts.pdf

Open access

Tipologia: Versione pubblicata dall'editore
Dimensione 939.12 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
939.12 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/461334
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact