Unless you were living under a rock, you’ll likely remember the two-year old infamous fiasco of “The dress.” Going viral on February 26, 2015, “The dress” was a photograph of a two-colored dress that ignited passionate arguments between the most peaceable of people. The dispute was over the colors of the dress, whether it was blue and black or white and gold. If you have not seen the dress, this dispute may seem incredibly irrational. How could the entire world be ensure of the color of a dress? Surprisingly, the answer is fairly simple: our perception of color depends on interpreting the amounts of light in a room of scene. Because the normal indicators of lighting are not present in the photo, people perceive the colors of the dress in different ways. Thanks to an ability called color constancy, we are able to assign fixed colors to objects under a variety of different lightings. However, the photograph does not give us these lighting cues as the striped dress monopolizes the majority of the photo. So we must make our own judgments about the lighting in the room in question. Some people viewed the dress as being white and gold in a dark shadow. The remaining population saw a blue and black dress, but washed out in a bright light. Quickly, after the image went viral, the answer was released. The dress was indeed blue and black. Still, this answer did not appease everyone as the debates still ensued and viewers were stupefied. Had the photograph included more of the room or more skin tones, there would have been more clues to the lighting in the room. With these cues available, this worldwide dispute could have been avoided. Still, it was fascinating phenomenon that astounded the Internet. Plus, who doesn't love a little bit of healthy debate?
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