Schrödinger’s Color Theory and Its Background

Abstract

Translations of Schrödinger’s articles on color theory show us the continuing importance of his colorimetry. Schrödinger’s color theory develops a tradition which begins with Newton, and which was developed by Helmholtz and by Grassmann. Schrödinger also wrote at a time when Fechner’s influence on psychology was much stronger than it is now. Some colorimetric terms have changed since his articles were published: some are more precisely applied than general terms were in the 1920s. There have also been surprises since, such as Wald’s discovery of small-field tritanopia, and the discovery of four-cone color systems in some women. Generally Schrödinger’s approach to color theory is sophisticated, comprehensive, and usefully didactic. His axiomatic approach to the geometry of color space permits a close examination of current assumptions about the treatment of data from color matching and color comparison.