What type of energy can you see with your eyes?

Have you ever been curious about the types of energy that can be seen by the human eye? It turns out that not all forms of energy are visible to us, and only certain energy can be seen. There are three main types of energy that you can see with your eyes - electromagnetic energy, light energy, and thermal energy. In this article, we'll take a look at each energy type and explore what we can see and what we can't when it comes to these energy sources.

Electromagnetic Energy

Electromagnetic energy, or radiant energy, is energy from light or electromagnetic waves. Examples of light from electromagnetic energy include burning a candle, flipping a light switch, turning on a flashlight, and even the sun. Of the energy carried by light, only a tiny part of the spectrum is visible to the human eye.

Light Energy

Light energy is the only form of energy that is visible to the human eye. When light hits the retina (a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye), special cells called photoreceptors turn the light into electrical signals. The signals are then sent through the optic nerve to the brain, which translates them into the images we see. Even though light energy is the only type of energy that is seen with the human eye, it only makes up a tiny part of the electromagnetic energy spectrum.

Thermal Energy

Thermal energy is the energy of the movement of particles. We can't see the particles of thermal energy, but we can see the result of this energy if it reaches a certain level. When thermal energy is expressed as visible light, it can be seen by the human eye, such as in the form of an open flame or an incandescent light bulb. Additionally, we can feel the effects of thermal energy as heat or warmth.

Digital Eyestrain

It's important to note that staring at digital screens can cause digital eyestrain. This is because blue light from computer screens and digital devices can decrease contrast and cause symptoms such as fatigue, dry eyes, bad lighting, and even pain in the neck, shoulders, or back. To prevent digital eyestrain, take regular breaks from digital screens, reduce glare on the screen, and use proper lighting.

Seeing Colors

Our eyes contain three color sensitivecone cells – short absorbing wavelength S-cones is responsible for seeing blue, medium M-cones is responsible for green, and long wavelength L-cones for red. The proportion of the light recognized by each of these three cone types is interpreted by the brain and determines the color we see.

Reading Minds

Interestingly, there's a chance that our eyes can be used to "read" people's minds. A study in 2014 pointed out that if two infrared photons smack into a retinal cell nearly simultaneously, their energy can be detected by special retinal cells that can detect infrared light. When combined with other scientific findings, this suggests that when people look into each other's eyes, they can "sense" one another's mind.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are three main types of energy that can be seen with the human eye: electromagnetic energy, light energy, and thermal energy. Of these energy types, light energy is the only one our eyes can detect. Digital eyestrain is a real problem that can occur from prolonged use of digital screens, and the colors we see are determined by special cone cells in our eyes. Finally, it's possible that our eyes can be used to “read” people’s minds.