Let's try doing the following experiment.

 What to do：

 Use string to hang a paper clip or other small object at about chest（胸部）level.

 Pick up a stick，such as a broom handle. Take three or four steps away from the paper clip.

 Now close one eye and walk toward the paper clip. Try to touch it with the tip of the stick. If you miss，try again，still keeping one eye closed. Now try it with both eyes open and see if it’s easier to do.

 How it works：

 In the experiment，you have to judge how far away the paper clip is. Your brain has several ways of doing this.

 One simple way depends on how much your eye has to focus（聚焦）itself. Using only one eye，most people will find it difficult to touch the paper clip on the first try，but the brain still gets some information about distance—though not much.

 Your brain can judge distance much better when you look at something with both eyes. In fact，your brain has more than one way to use both eyes in judging distance. For example，to see anything clearly，you have to make both of your eyes point at the object. When you look at a nearby object，your eyes turn inward. You can feel this happening if you look at the tip of your finger and move your finger toward your nose.

 Your brain gets information from the eyes about how much they are pointing toward each other. Using that information，the brain can tell how far away any object is，whether it is a basketball or a paper clip.