rmachuca@wsmr06.ARPA (Raul Machuca STEWS-ID-T 678-4686) (07/01/87)
The six-million dollar man has an explanation which is biological rather than psychological. The center on/off receptors of the eye are arranged in a discrete matrix. An edge gives the greatest signal when the edge passes thru the center of a cell. When there is not enough of a signal the edge cannot be seen. An object moving at a fast rate of speed will be seen by the mind as a sequence of snapshots. These snapshots take place when the edge is lined up with the centers of a group of receptors. I an object is moving at a fast rate of speed the neurons will not recover to take another snapshot until the object has moved a considerable distance. The slow motion still frame technique is simulating on film exactly this process. The brain reacts in the same way as if wewere seeing a quickly moving object and thus the neurons generate the same signals as caused by actually looking at something moving at a fast rate of speed.