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Thumb's rule tested: visual angle of thumb's width is about 2 deg
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Thumb's rule tested: visual angle of thumb's width is about 2 deg

R.P. O'Shea
Perception, Vol.20(3), pp.415-418
1991
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Abstract

Measures of the size of various hand parts and their viewing distance when held at arm's length were made on one hundred and eighteen undergraduate students. A simple rule of thumb can be confirmed: Visual angle of the width of the thumb held at arm's length is about 2 deg. The thumbnail subtends about 1.5 deg and the index fingernail about 1 deg in width, when both are held at arm's length. These figures are good approximations for males and females, although a significant, direct, linear relationship exists between hand-part size and the visual angle of the part at arm's length.

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Citation topics
8 Earth Sciences
8.19 Oceanography, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
8.19.543 Cloud Microphysics
Web Of Science research areas
Ophthalmology
Psychology
Psychology, Experimental
ESI research areas
Psychiatry/Psychology
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