Open Question
Each of the following statements is false. Correct each statement to make it true.
c. In the dark, rods and cones produce action potentials.
15. The Special Senses
Rods, Cones, and Light
Struggling with Anatomy & Physiology?
Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first videoMultiple Choice
Imagine that you are walking in the woods at night in very low light. A red flower and a green leaf are both reflecting the same total amount of light. Which would appear brighter to you and why? The image is provided for reference.
A
The red flower. The cones will be most important in low light, and red wavelengths excite multiple cone cells.
B
The red flower. The rods will be most important in low light, and rods are most excited in the red spectrum.
C
The green leaf. The rods will be most important in low light, and rods are most excited in the green spectrum.
D
The green leaf. The cones will be most important in low light, and green wavelengths excite multiple cone cells.
Verified step by step guidance1
Begin by understanding the role of rods and cones in the human eye. Rods are responsible for vision in low light conditions, while cones are responsible for color vision and function best in bright light.
Examine the graph provided. It shows the relative absorbance of different photoreceptor cells (S Cone, M Cone, L Cone, and Rods) across various wavelengths of light.
Notice that rods have a peak absorbance around the green spectrum, approximately 500 nm. This indicates that rods are more sensitive to green light compared to red light in low light conditions.
Understand that in low light conditions, such as walking in the woods at night, rods are the primary photoreceptors used for vision. Since rods are more excited by green wavelengths, the green leaf would appear brighter than the red flower.
Conclude that the correct answer is: The green leaf. The rods will be most important in low light, and rods are most excited in the green spectrum.
9:8mWatch next
Master Sensation of Light by Rods and Cones with a bite sized video explanation from Bruce Bryan
Start learningRelated Videos
Related Practice
Rods, Cones, and Light practice set
Problem sets built by lead tutorsExpert video explanations