VisualSize:CalculatingaVisualAngle

APsychology469(VisualPerception)Tutorial
CreatedbyDonaldKlineandLisaLynk

VisionandAgingLaboratory
DepartmentofPsychology
UniversityofCalgary
Version1.2Jan.2001
1.HowtoUsethisTutorial
WelcometothePSYC469tutorialonCalculatingaVisualAngle.
Thesizeofanobjectsimageontheretinaldependsontwothings,theactualsize
oftheobject,anditsdistancefromtheeye.Inthistutorial,youwilllearnhowtouse
objectsizeandobjectdistancetocalculateanimagesangularsizeontheretina.The
conceptofanimagesangularsizeisessentialtounderstandingavarietyofvisual
phenomenaincludingacuity,depthperception,andthecontrastsensitivityfunction(CSF)
ofthevisualsystemforobjectsofdifferentsize.
Thesetutorialscoverseveraldifferenttopicsinvision.Eachtopiciscoveredina
separatemodule,whichconsistofrepeatingsequences.Onthefirstpageineach
sequence,youwillreceiveabriefpresentationofinformation,onthefollowingpageyou
willbeaskedaquestionaboutthatinformation,andonthethirdpage,youllseethe
questionalongwiththecorrectanswertothequestion.
Tousethetutorials,selectthetopicfromthemenubyclickingonit.Studythe
informationpagescarefullyandsubsequentlyselectthenextbutton.Thiswill
automaticallybringyoutothequestionpage.Afterrecordingyouranswer,clickon
answerandthecorrectonewillappear.Ifyouranswerisnotcorrect,youshould
reviewtherelevantinformationbyselectinginformation.Thiswilltakeyoutothe
precedinginformationpage.Readthepageoveragainverycarefullyproceedingtothe
QuestionandAnsweronceyouhavedoneso.
YoucanquitthetutorialanytimebyreturningtothemainTutorialMenuand
selectingtutorialbuttonlocatedinthecorner

UsingTheTutorial
YoushouldreadovereachinformationPageverycarefully,andthenclickon
next.RecordyouranswertothequestiononthequestionPage,andthenusethe
AnswerPagelinktoseethecorrectanswer.Ifyouransweriscorrect,usethe
Information,QuestionandAnswerPagelinkstoproceedonwardthroughthetutorial.
Anytimethatyouanswerisnotcorrect,youshouldusethequestionPagelinkonthe
AnswerPagetoreturntoandreadthepreviousInformationPageverycarefully.
Youcanquitthetutorialatanytime,byreturningtothemainVisualPerceptualTutorial
menu.Justselectthehomebuttonlocatedinthelowerlefthandcornerofeverypate.
Oncethere,youcanexitthetutorialseriesbyselectingthequitbutton.
InformationPage:WhyUseVisualangleforSize?
Invisionresearch,thesizeofobjectsistypicallyexpressedintermsofitsseconds
(60seconds=1minute).Byusingthisapproach,objectsofdifferentrealworldsizes
viewedfromvariousviewingdistancescanbecomparedintermsoftheirtruevisual
sizeontheretinal.Thisapproachalsomakesitusefulfortranslatingsizediscrimination
thresholdsintoacuity.Forexample,ifapersoncandetectaminimumgaporfeaturethat
is1minuteacross,thatcorrespondstoavisualacuityof20/20regardlesswhetherthe
acuitytarget(e.g.aletter,gratingorLandholtC)isnearandsmaller,orfarawayand
larger.
QuestionPage
Invisionresearch,theretinalimagesizeofobjectsofvariousactualsizes,viewedfrom
differentdistancescanbecomparedusingtheangularunitofa.)______________.
Usingthisunit,someonewith20/20acuityisabletodiscriminatingatargetfeature(e.g.,
thegapinaletterC)whichisb.)______________insize,regardlessofthetargets
distancefromtheobserver.
AnswerPage
Question:Invisionresearch,theretinaimagesizeofobjectsofvariousactualsizes,
viewedfromdifferentdistancescanbecomparedusingtheunitofa.)___________.
Usingthisunit,20/20acuityisequivalenttodiscriminatingatargetwhichisb.)
__________insize,regardlessofitsdistancefromtheobserver.
a.) DEGREES
b.) 1MINUTE
InformationPage

Therelationship0betweentheangularsizeoftheimageinotneretinalonone
hand,andtargetsizeandviewingdistanceontheother,canbeseenbelow.Although
objectAistwicethesizeofobjectB,itisalsoviewedfromtwiceasfaraway(i.e.from
distanceDversus0.5D).Thus,thevisualanglesofobjectAandobjectBareidenticalon
theretina(i.e.).
QuestionPage
2.Asanobjectismovedclosertotheeyeitsvisualangleontheretinawill
a.)____________.Therefore,thevisualimagesizeofanobjectcanbespecifiedonlyif
theobjectsb.)___________fromtheeyeisalsoknown.
AnswerPage
2. Asanobjectismovedclosertotheeyeitsvisualangleontheretinalwilla.)
_________.Therefore,thevisualimagesizeofanobjectcanbespecifiedonlyif
theobjectsb.)___________fromtheeyeisknown.
a.) INCREASE
b.) DISTANCE
InformationPage
Ifthesizeofanobjectanditsdistancefromtheeyearebothknown,itsvisualangle
(thetaor)canbecalculatedusingtrigonometry.Tousetrigonometry,itisnecessaryto
workwithrightangles.Forlargerangles(>6degrees)itshouldbedonebyusingthe
exactmethod:1.)multiplytheobjectssize(i.e.widthorheight)by0.5(i.e.0.5A),and
dividethatbytheviewingdistance(D)inthesameunitstofindthetangentoftheangle
0.5:0.5A/D=tan(0.5).
Afterfindingtheangleassociatedwiththetanof0.5(i.e.thearctan),allyouneedtodo
ismultiply0.5by2togetindegreesorfractionsofdegrees.
QuestionPage
3.Tocalculatethevisualangle()ofafeaturemostaccuratelyyoushouldbeginbyfirst
calculatingthea.)____________of0.5,whichisequaltob.)____________timesthe
sizeofthefeaturedividedbyitsc.)___________.
AnswerPage

3.Tocalculatethevisualangleof()ofafeaturemostaccuratelyyoushouldbeginby
firstcalculatingthea.)____________of0.5,whichisequaltob.)____________
timesthesizeofthefeaturedividedbyitsc.)___________.

a.) TANGENT
b.) 0.5
c.) DISTANCE
InformationPage
Heresanexampleofhowtheangularsizeofa7cmx7cm,square6metersawayfrom
theobserverseyewouldbecalculated.
Tan(0.5)=(0.5x7cm)/(6x100cm)
=3.5/600
=0.0058
0.5=tan1(0.0058)
=0.3323degrees
=2x0.3323
=0.665degrees(or0.665x60)=39.9minutes
QuestionPage
4.Calculatethevisualanglesizeofan8cmfeatureata100cmviewingdistance
usingtheexactmethod.Thetanof0.5isequaltoa.)_____________,which
correspondstoanangleofb.)___________degrees.Thevisualangleofthefeature
isthereforec.)____________degreesord.)___________degreesande.)________
minutes.
AnswerPage
4.)
a.)0.04
b.)2.29
c.)4.58
d.)4
e.)34.8
InformationPage
SmallAngleApproximationMethod:forsmallerobjectsorfeatures(lessthan6
degreesorso),thevisualanglecanbeapproximatedcloselyandquicklywithoutfirst
finding0.5.Instead,allyoudoisdividefeaturesizebyviewingdistancetofindtan
,andthusitself.

tan=(sizeofobjectincm)/(distanceindm)
=arctan(size)/(distance)
QuestionPage
5.Usingthesmallandgleapproximationmethod,calculatethevisualangleofa
48cmtargetfeaturethatisviewedfrom6meters.Thetangentofthisvisualangleis
a.)_____________andthevisualangleisb.)______________degrees.
AnswerPage
5.
a.)0.08
b.)4.58
InformationPage
Compareyouranswerstoquestion4and5ontheprecedingcards.Youwillseethat
althoughyouusedtheexactmethodonquestion4,andthesmallangle
approximationmethodonnumber5,thevisualanglesizewasvirtuallythesame
(about4.58degrees)inbothcases.Becausetheangularsizeofthetwotargetswas
small(lessthat6degrees),itdidntmatteriftheanglewascalculatedfromtanor
fromtan0.5.
AUsefulRuleofThumb
Toprovideaquickcheckofthegeneralaccuracyofyourvisualanglecalculation,
youcanusethethumbtest.Thewidthofyourthumbheldatarmslengthis
approximately2degreesofarc.Ifyousimplycomparethewidthofyourthumbat
armslengthtoanobjectorfeature,youcanmakeaquickapproximationofitsvisual
angleatyoureye.Forexample,ifastimulusisaboutonehalfthewidthofyour
thembwhenviewedfromtheproperviewingdistance,andifyourcalculationshows
thatitisabout1.0degreewide,itisprobablycorrect.
QuestionPage
6.Ifyouplaceyourselfatthecorrectviewingdistancefromanobjetthatyour
calculationshaveindicatedis60minuteswide,whenyouviewtheobjectagainst
yourthumbatarmslengthitshouldbeapproximatelya.)___________thewidthof
yourthumb.
AnswerPage

a.)half