TABLE OF CONTENTS Scientists have demonstrated that much about biological molecules and life itself can be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry. For this reason, this book began with several chapters on basic science. From there, we looked at various special types of matter. Since our goal at that stage was to show the connections between basic science and the laptop computer, the primary focus was on non-living matter. However, as discussed in the Introduction of this book, there is more to liquid crystals than displays, and this chapter and the next look beyond displays. This chapter focuses on liquid crystals and the visual arts. The reader will see how colors are produced in paintings and how liquid crystals can be used to create interesting color effects. I hope that the reader is curious about art, since this chapter will answer the following questions.
How does one describe colors?
How do pigments work?
What are interference colors?
Why does a thin layer of oil on water produce colors?
How do cholesteric liquid crystals produce colors?
Why do these cholesteric colors change?
Liquid crystals have been used as a medium for the visual arts for almost thirty years. They have unique properties that make them an interesting and exciting medium to study. One of the prominent artists utilizing this medium is David Makow of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The sections of this chapter on artistic applications of liquid crystals are largely based on a review article he wrote a...
