What is persistence of vision?

Persistence of vision is the ability of the human eye to keep seeing an image for a short time even after the object has been removed.

When light enters our eyes, the image formed on the retina stays for about 1/16th of a second. This short memory of vision allows us to see smooth motion in rapidly changing images.

Examples of Persistence of Vision

1. Cinema: Movies are actually a series of still images shown quickly (24 frames per second). Persistence of vision makes them appear continuous.
2. Television: Works on the same principle by showing rapid frames that look like motion.
3. Animation Toys: Devices like thaumatropes and flipbooks use persistence of vision to create moving pictures.

Applications

Scientific Importance

• Helps in understanding how eyes and brain process images.
• Forms the basis of modern cinema, television, and computer graphics.
• Explains how humans perceive motion in visual arts.