Weber-Fecher law

The Weber-Fechner law, also known as the Weber's law or Fechner's law, is a principle in psychophysics that describes the relationship between the intensity of a physical stimulus and the psychological perception of that stimulus. It states that the subjective perception of a stimulus's magnitude is proportional to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity.

In simpler terms, the law suggests that our perception of a change in stimulus intensity is not directly proportional to the actual physical change in the stimulus. Instead, the perception of change depends on the ratio of the initial stimulus intensity to the change in intensity.

Temperature Perception - Improving Comfort

As a user, I want to adjust the temperature of my air conditioning system to achieve a comfortable environment in my home.

Scenario:

1.
As a user, I set the air conditioning system to a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius in my room.
2.
Initially, the room feels slightly warm, and I desire a cooler environment.
3.
To perceive a noticeable change in temperature, I decrease the thermostat setting by 2 degrees to 22 degrees Celsius.
4.
As the air conditioning system adjusts to the new setting and begins cooling the room, I start to feel a significant difference in the temperature.
5.
The sensation of coolness becomes more pronounced as the temperature drops, providing a refreshing and comfortable environment.
6.
If I had initially set the air conditioning system to a lower temperature, such as 18 degrees Celsius, I would need to decrease the thermostat setting by a larger amount, such as 4 degrees, to achieve a similar noticeable change in temperature.
7.
With the Weber-Fechner law in action, I appreciate that a small adjustment in temperature settings can yield a perceptible difference when the initial temperature is relatively high.