_High Speed._ This curve shows very well indeed what seems to be
typical of the relations between the intensity of the moving light
and the apparent curvature of the front edge of the image. With the
lowest degrees of intensity the amount of the curvature is very little.
Sometimes it was difficult to measure it at all. The light was so
faint and the speed so rapid that probably very little reënforcement
or irradiation took place, although what did occur would show its
presence most prominently, since, on account of the high speed at
which the pendulum moved, any part of the image which should come
into consciousness ahead of the rest, even by a very little time,
would appear considerably in advance of the rest of the image in
space. Of course a certain amount of time would be required for the
stimulus to spread itself over the retina, since it has to overcome
a certain amount of resistance in the nerve-layers, and if this time
were not given, the curvature of the resulting image would be of course
decreased. As the light brightened, however, the curvature increased
rapidly, until finally, when the intensity of the light neared its
highest point, the curvature ceased becoming greater, and finally
decreased. The mean error in eight judgments taken by two people for
each intensity of light was about .099 in.
[Illustration: High Speed]
[Illustration: Middle Speed]
[Illustration: Low Speed]
The measurements with the middle speed were very similar. The curvature
with the lowest intensity of light was somewhat greater than when this
same light moved with the highest speed. The maximum point of curvature
was reached with a light of less intensity, and the curvature was less.
When yet higher intensities were used, the curve decreased rapidly. The
amount of curvature was also much less with the brightest light than
with the higher speed. The following table shows the judgments of three
observers for this speed:
MIDDLE SPEED
Intensities. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
First Subject. 8 10 9 11 10 9 9 7 8
10 11 13 13 10 11 10 9 8
10 10 11 11 9 8 8 7 7
10 11 11 14 10 12 8 9 9
10 11 10 11 9 9 7 10 7
11 11 11 13 10 10 9 10 7
Second Subject. 10 9 11 11 12 8 11 7 8
12 14 13 14 15 14 10 9 9
10 14 13 13 12 11 11 10 9
11 14 13 13 13 12 12 10 9
13 11 13 14 12 12 10 9 9
13 12 13 14 12 12 11 11 9
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