Visual Illusions: Their Causes, Characteristics and ApplicationsLuckiesh, Matthew
Science
Visual Illusions: Their Causes, Characteristics and Applications
Luckiesh, Matthew
Optical illusions
Seasonable changes present no difficulties, for from a practical
standpoint only summer and winter need be generally considered. If the
earth is covered with snow an airplane covered completely with white or
gray paint would be fairly satisfactory as viewed from above, and if a
certain shade of a blue tint be applied to the lower surfaces, low
visibility as viewed from below would result. The white paint would
possess a reflection-factor about equal to that of snow, thus providing
low visibility from above. Inasmuch as the reflection-factor of snow is
very high, the white lower sides of an airplane would receive a great deal
more light in winter than they would in summer. Obviously, a blue tint is
necessary for low visibility against the sky, but color has not been
primarily considered in the preceding paragraphs because the chief
difficulty in achieving low visibility from below lies in obtaining
brightness of the proper order of magnitude. In winter the barren ground
would be approximately of the same color and reflection-factor as in
summer, so it would not be difficult to take this into consideration.
Seaplanes whose backgrounds generally consist of water would be painted of
the color and brightness of water with perhaps a slight mottling. The
color would generally be a very dark shade, approximating blue-green in
hue.
Aircraft for night use would be treated in the same manner as aircraft for
day use, if the moonlight is to be considered a dominant factor. This is
one of the cases where the judgment must be based on actual experience. It
appears that the great enemy of night raiders is the searchlight. If this
is true the obvious expedient is to paint the craft a dull jet black.
Experiments indicate that it is more difficult to pick up a black craft
than a gray or white one and also it is more difficult to hold it in the
beam of the searchlight. This can be readily proved by the use of black,
gray, and white cards in the beam of an automobile head-light. The white
card can be seen in the outskirts of the beam where the gray or black
cannot be seen, and the gray can be picked up where the black one is
invisible. The science of vision accounts for this as it does for many
other questions which arise in the consideration of camouflage or low
visibility.
Some attempts have been made to apply the principle of confusibility to
airplanes as finally developed for vessels to circumvent the submarine,
but the folly of this appears to be evident. Air battles are conducted at
terrific speeds and with skillful maneuvering. Triggers are pulled without
computations and the whole activity is almost lightning-like. To expect to
confuse an opponent as to the course and position of the airplane is
folly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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