TABLE OF CONTENTS Visible light is a form of electromagnetic radiation whose wavelengths fall into the relatively narrow band of frequencies to which the human visual system (HVS) responds: the range from approximately 380 nm to 780 nm. These wavelengths of light are readily measurable. The perception of color, however, is a complicated subject. Color is a phenomenon of physics, physiology, and psychology. The perception of color depends on factors such as the surrounding colors, the light source illuminating the object, individual variations in the HVS, and previous experiences with an object or its color.
Colorimetry is the branch of color science that seeks to measure and quantify color in this broader sense. The foundation of much of modern colorimetry is the CIE system developed by the Commission Internationale de l Eclairage (International Commission on Illumination). The CIE colorimetric system consists of a series of essential standards, measurement procedures, and computational methods necessary to make colorimetry a useful tool for science and industry.
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