Nonlinear Property of the Visual System at Fusion

The response of the visual system to intermittent stimulation at rates above the fusion point is generally considered to be independent of frequency, that is, linear with respect to time-average luminance. However, trains of 1000 light pulses per second alternated successively with trains of 500 light pulses per second may be perceived as flickering even though the time-average luminance is the same in each train.