Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 7/8/2007

Question
i have wondered for a while how many frames per second the human eye can see? i know many think that it is 30 frames per second, but i have found that it is actually much higher; however, i can find now specific answer, or even an estimit, so could you answer this question for me?

Answer
Dear Jeff,

The flicker fusion point of the mammalian eye (including the human eye) is usually considered to be 60 cycles per second:  at that point, an image will seem steady and constant, and not appear to flicker at all.  Below 60 cycles, there will be *some* flicker, though this will vary with the individual observer.

Believe it or not, our old pal Wikipedia has a fairly good, understandable, and accurate explanation of flicker fusion and how various media (TV, movies, computers) utilize our flicker fusion threshhold to create a more or less steady picture.  You can find that here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flicker_fusion_threshold

Hope that helps!

Dana