ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Weber–Fechner law

The Weber-Fechner Law is a rule that helps us understand how we perceive changes in sensory stimuli. Imagine you're playing with blocks and you add one more block to your tower. How much different does your tower look to you? The Weber-Fechner Law says that the amount of difference you perceive depends on how big the tower originally was. If you started with a tiny tower, adding one block will look like a big change, but if you started with a very tall tower, adding one more block won't look like much of a difference at all.

This rule applies to all of our senses, not just vision. It helps us understand how we perceive differences in sounds, smells, tastes, and even physical sensations like temperature. The Weber-Fechner Law states that the more intense a stimulus is, the larger the change must be in order for us to notice it.

For example, if someone is playing music very softly, turning the volume up just a little bit will make a big difference in how loud it sounds. But if the music is already very loud, you would have to turn up the volume a lot more to notice a difference.

The Weber-Fechner Law is important because it helps us understand how we perceive the world around us. It helps scientists and individuals make sense of how we perceive changes in our environment and how we vary in our perceptions of different stimuli.