On an average computer screen there might be 500,000 or more pixels. The bigger the screen usually the more pixels. More pixels mean better resolution, things look sharper. The images and the colors that you see on a TV or computer screen depend upon how the screen works. But in general they take digital information, and then send little electrical signals to the screen where the electrical signal is changed into a color. There are different ways to do that, some involve crystals that change their ability to let light pass while others involve chemicals that give off light when they are excited by the electrical signals.

Digital camera can take pictures with over 10,000,000 pixels. Cameras with more and more resolution are a result of improvements in nanotechnology the same technology that is used to make computer chips. They work kind of opposite to the way a computer screen works. Inside of the camera is something called a charged coupled device (CCD). A CCD is a gizmo that takes light and converts it into a digital piece of information which can be stored. The CCD has a million or more of these sensors each of which records a portion of the light from an image. The picture on the right shows a CCD chip magnified 7000 times. So the more sensors, the more pixels, the better the resolution.

So what is the resolution of the human eye? Well it depends upon a lot of things including how good your eyes are. But the estimates are around 300 to 500 million pixels. That means that if you look at something you can break it down into 300-500 million different pieces. Pieces that you brain puts together into one big picture. That is a lot better than the most of the digital cameras or computer screens around.

Image Sources: jWire | Hirox