@KyleKanos, please reconsider. I did not know that when I asked the question, and it shouldn't be penalized due to the nature of the correct answer. And seeing as it has 70+ upvotes, the community has agreed it is a good question.

@MadHatter — EM waves are famously known to superimpose, causing constructive/destructive interference, as demonstrated in the double-slit experiment

I agree that this answer is more technically correct, but I think it’s missing the key point: that our ears are able to sense mechanical waveforms while our eyes cannot sense electromagnetic waveforms. There’s room for improvement, which I welcome.

@HalberdRejoyceth, yes, please do update. I chose your answer because it hit the underlying point—that our ears sense true waveforms while our eyes do not. I found that to sufficiently answer my question, even if it’s not the complete truth. However, I do think you would benefit the community to explain in further detail the differences in how the cochlea and the retina work.

awesome! BTW this could help answer your biological question: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diurnality#Evolution_of_diurnality

@dmckee is right, red + green looks like yellow but is not identical to yellow—the sum is a superposition waveform rather than a pure hue. But I ask: why aren’t we able to perceive the sum of red+green as two separate hues?