Infinity threshold

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The infinity threshold describes the upper limit of a person's numeric comprehension. Below this level, an individual can generally understand the relative magnitude of a given quantity or attribute. However, the relative magnitude of values beyond their infinity threshold cannot be understood. For example, for many people, a billion is a value that far exceeds their ability to mentally conceptualize in quantity.

The term was coined in 2005 by American researcher Matt Morris in a public survey study on the U.S. national debt. That study found that the magnitude of the debt (then nearly $8 trillion) was far beyond the average citizen's ability to comprehend in size and value. He speculated that this effect helped to explain the lack of concern for the debt level or rate of change

More recently, the term has been applied to other human senses such as hearing and touch. The human body is not capable of perceiving a difference between 90 and 100 degrees Celsius because these values exceed the range of the receptors for heat, and the perception is limited to pain.

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