How long is a moment?

Asked by: Angie Mutch, Stonehaven

The term dates back to at least the 8th Century, when the monk St Bede used it to define a period of 90 seconds. That’s probably longer than most people would regard as a moment.

But if we just mean the duration of a brief experience, we can at least say how short it can be. In 2014, researchers at MIT showed that the brain can identify images glimpsed for as little as 13 milliseconds.

Read more:

• Does time really go faster as we get older?
• Why does time seem to go slower when we’re bored?

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