It's easier to talk about discontinuity than continuity.
If a function has a discontinuity (i.e. is not continuous), then it typically means that there is "jump" in the function value, so its graph has a gap in it. This is not 100% true, though. There are weird functions that oscillate infinitely fast in a small region, and these are also not continuous. But let's ignore strange functions like that, for now.
If there is a discontinuity in the first derivative of a function, it means that its graph has a sharp corner -- a place where there is an abrupt change in direction.
If there is a discontinuity in second derivative, it means there is an abrupt change in curvature (or radius of curvature). Some people can see these discontinuities, and some people can't. Anyone with a background in graphics or design will certainly see them.
Things get a lot more interesting when you make surfaces from your curves, and you look at reflections in these surfaces, as you would when looking at a car, for example. Reflection "magnifies" discontinuities. A discontinuity in curvature will be clearly visible in a reflective surface, even to the untrained eye. Even a discontinuity in third derivative will be visible to a designer. That's why people who design cars don't use cubic splines (which you are studying, sounds like), because these have only continuity of first and second derivatives.