If the pixel density increases, what happens to the detector's ability to resolve small details?

If the pixel density increases, what happens to the detector's ability to resolve small details?

• A. Increases
• B. Decreases
• C. No Change
• D. Varies with exposure

Answer: (A)

Increasing pixel density means more samples per unit area, so the detector records brightness changes with finer spatial sampling. That finer sampling lets you distinguish smaller features, boosting the detector’s ability to resolve small details. Of course, this improvement is limited by the optics’ ability to actually form those details (the diffraction and lens resolution) and by noise, so adding pixels won’t help once you’ve hit the optical limit. The other options don’t fit because higher sampling generally improves resolution rather than decreasing it or leaving it unchanged, and resolution isn’t primarily dictated by exposure.

Increasing pixel density means more samples per unit area, so the detector records brightness changes with finer spatial sampling. That finer sampling lets you distinguish smaller features, boosting the detector’s ability to resolve small details. Of course, this improvement is limited by the optics’ ability to actually form those details (the diffraction and lens resolution) and by noise, so adding pixels won’t help once you’ve hit the optical limit. The other options don’t fit because higher sampling generally improves resolution rather than decreasing it or leaving it unchanged, and resolution isn’t primarily dictated by exposure.