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5. Is the Law of Talbot true for very rapidly Intermittent Light?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2014

George N. Stewart
Affiliation:
Senior Demonstrator of Physiology, Owens College, Manchester
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Extract

The law which is sometimes associated with the name of Talbot is generally stated thus:—Once complete fusion has been reached, no alteration in the intensity of the resultant impression produced by a series of flashes takes place, however short the time during which each flash acts may be, provided that the number of flashes in a given time and the length of each stimulation be always kept inversely proportional. Complete fusion of stimuli here is analogous to complete tetanus of muscle. And, as in the latter case, it has been discussed as to where the upper limit of frequency lies, or whether there be an upper limit, so in the former case are like questions in place. With the various answers which have been given in regard to muscle tetanus we are not here concerned; except that it may be noticed that the later investigators, where they have at all admitted the probability of a limit, have had a tendency to shorten the time between each stimulus which they regarded as the minimum.

Type
Proceedings 1887-88
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1889

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References

* The observations need some little practice, and hardly anybody has been able, at the first trial, to see all that is to be seen. “When the rotating disk is used, it is a good plan to have an arrangement by which the length of the slit may be increased or diminished. Keeping now the distance of the source of light fixed, we can run through the phases either by altering the rate of rotation or the length of the slit. Keeping the rate of rotation and length of slit constant, we can do the same by altering the distance of the light. The length of slit should not be large in comparison with the circumference of the disk.