Spontaneous Perception of Cardinal Numbers JavaScript Simulation Applet HTML5

Have you ever wanted to find out how fast you can perceive and retain information? Well, this simulation provides just that, in a much simpler way.

In the number field at the top of the simulation (link here), set the maximum number n of balls that appear on the screen, and uncheck the "Show Number" checkbox to hide the big number shown on the screen. Set the speed that the numbers change with the slider, and hit the play button to start the simuation.

Now, while small values of n may be pretty trivial to count, as n increases, so does the difficulty of counting the number of balls at a glance. The threshold is around 7, give or take a few. If you feel that even large numbers are no trouble for you, turn up the speed. Go on, give it a try!