Simply speaking, Weber experimented on the weight needed for a person to feel the difference when additional weight is added. Weber found out that the smallest noticeable difference in weight is proportional to the starting vale of the weight. This means that if you are holding a weight of 500g, an additional 500g is needed for you to feel a noticeable difference. If you are holding a weight of 2kg, you will need 2kg more worth of weight for you to feel a difference.
The relationship between the stimulus and the perception is logarithmic, just like pH scale and the Richter Scale. So have you found something interested about logarithms and the application of it in reality? Logarithms is used to calculate numbers that are very big. As the thing you are finding increases by 1 unit, the effect is increased by 10 times and then the following increases by a factor of 10.
Anyway, coming back to the Weber-Fechner Law, logarithms is used to calculate human perception of things. The Weber-Fechner Law does not only still true for the touch senses of a human, it is also valid for other stimuli and other sensory perceptions as well, such as our hearing and our vision.
Now, time for the formula that proves the this amazing phenomenon.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/7/8/0/780dc889d3ca8d5048baa2acf4806d3a.png
It is derived by a series of calculations, including perception and the constant of integration.
Seeing formulas does not amaze us that much. However, when we apply it to reality, it will definitely WOW you! After we touch on the last law -- Hick's Law, we shall move on to the Real-life applications of all these formulas!!
No comments:
Post a Comment