Angular guages perhaps. Sweeps of 180 to 270 degrees are quite
readable, I agree. But what does the study say about altimeters with
dual needles, that rotate multiple times? How many times have you
misread the altitude or had to think hard to get it right? This has to
be the most confusing instrument to read, unless you don't really care
about knowing about that last +/- 1000 feet.

Regards,
John


(Bob Kuykendall) wrote in message . com...
Earlier, Robert Ehrlich wrote:

The "normal" instruments are very easy to
interpret (it has been shown that round dials are by far the easiest to
comprehend for the human brain: judging angles is easier than judging a
distance or reading and interpretting a figure.)

Not obviuous for me...

The assertion that angular guages are easier to read is backed up by
countless perception and human factors studies. It is also
corroborated by studies of the stimulation network pre-processing that
takes place right in the retina at the back of the eye.

Human factors texts such as McCormick's, and physiology texts on
sensation and perception deal with this topic at great length.

Thanks, and best regards to all

Bob K.