BBC Science Focus

What is the time resolution of our senses?

- LILLIA NELSON (AGE 10),

When you watch a film, the cinema projects a series of still frames one after the other, but you perceive it as continuous motion because each frame is only shown for about 40 millisecon­ds. In fact, under ideal conditions we can spot a flicker in a light even if it lasts for just 25 millisecon­ds. Our other senses react at different speeds, though. Hearing is much faster, with a time resolution of just three millisecon­ds, but touch can only manage 50 millisecon­ds. Smell and taste are the slowest and can take more than a second to react to a new sensation.

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