Children optical illusions
Optical Illusions | Optics for Kids
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What is an Optical Illusion?
Optical Illusions can use color, light and patterns to create images that can be deceptive or misleading to our brains. The information gathered by the eye is processed by the brain, creating a perception that in reality, does not match the true image. Perception refers to the interpretation of what we take in through our eyes. Optical illusions occur because our brain is trying to interpret what we see and make sense of the world around us. Optical illusions simply trick our brains into seeing things which may or may not be real.
Try out some of these illusions and discover just how tricky it can be for your brain to accurately interpret the images from your eyes. Click on any of the images below to begin your exploration of optical illusions.
Moiré
Are the pinwheels moving?
Answer: No, the wheels are not turning. The Moiré effect can produce interesting and beautiful geometric patterns.
Light Bulb
Stare closely at this light bulb for 25 seconds. Then immediately stare at a white wall or sheet of paper. What do you see?
Answer: You should see a glowing light bulb!
Elephant Legs
How many legs do I have?
Answer: Four
Teach
In this illusion you can see the word Teach and its reflection. Can you read the reflection too? What does it say?
Answer: Learn
The Animal
How many animals do you see in the image?
Answer: Look closely, you should be able to see a rabbit and a duck.
The Box and the Sphere
Keep your eyes on the dot. Is it in the front or in the back of the cube?
Ask a friend and see if they agree!
Color Blind
What number do you see in the circle?
Answer: You should be able to see the number 26, but people with various degrees of color blindess may only see the 2 or the 6.
Color Illusion
How many colors are present in the image?
Answer: One shade of green and one shade of red! <br /> <br /> It may look as if the two arms of the "X" use different shades of red, but in face the whole "X" only uses a single shade of red. Likewise, only one shade of green is present throughout the image.
Gradients
Which side of inset bar is darker?
Answer: They are both the same shade!
Hermann Grid Illusion
Count all the black dots you can see
Answer: There are no black dots.
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If you focus directly on each dot, you'll see that all of them are white.
Horizontal Lines
Are the horizontal lines sloping or straight?
Answer: All of the lines are straight.<br /> <br /> The black and white blocks are not aligned and thus fool your brain into thinking that the lines are sloping.
Kanizsa Triangle
How many triangles are present in the image?
Answer: There are no triangles.<br /> <br /> In reality there are only 3 V shapes and 3 shapes that look like Pac-Men.
Muller-Lyer Illusion
Take a very close look at the 2 vertical lines. Do you think one line is longer than the other?
Answer: They are the same size! Hard to believe; get out your ruler to measure the lines and see for yourself!
My Wife and My Mother-in-Law
How many figures can you see in the image below?
Answer: If you look closely, you can see both a young and an elderly woman.
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The picture, My Wife and My Mother-in-Law, is a good example of two images existing in one, and was published in 1915 by the cartoonist W.E. Hill.
Snakes
Are the circles moving in the image?
Answer: Look closely, they aren't moving.
Zollner Illusion
Do you think these lines are parallel?
Answer: They are parallel!
Refraction Illusion
Are both arrows pointing the same direction on the paper behind the glass?
Yes! This illusion demonstrations <a href="~/what-is-optics/refraction/">refraction</a>, the bending of light.
11 Optical illusions for kids
Optical Illusions for kids play with the way an object appears, through the use of colour, light, images and patterns to manipulate what our brains are perceiving.
why do we see them?
Our visual system has limits in tackling all the information our eyes take in.
So our minds take shortcuts and our brain constantly chooses the most likely interpretation of what we see.
Check out some interesting optical illusions for kids below and let us know which one you liked best.
HOOT HOOT
They say that some of the greatest moments in life are unplanned.
What we see is the face of a mysterious owl staring back from the cup of a mans morning coffee.
What it really is? This optical illusion was created, as a result of two Hula Hoops (potato snacks) being dropped into the mug.
Read more.
MOVING SQUARES
Scroll this picture up and down and the squares will move.
How does this happen? One theory is that when you move your head back and forth, the alternating dark and light patterns can seem to cause the perception of movement.
Read more.
My Wife and My Mother-in-Law
The illusion is considered to be one of the most famous optical illusions in the world (dating back to 1915).
Some people see a young lady with her head turned towards the background while others see an elderly woman’s side profile.
What do you see? It’s almost impossible to see both at the same time!
Australian researchers asked 393 participants aged 18 to 68 to tell them who they saw in the optical illusion. The results, published in the August 2018 issue of Scientific Reports showed that the youngest set of people tended to see the wife first, while the oldest set of participants tended to see the mother-in-law first.
Read more.
Lightbulb magic
All you need to do is stare closely at this light bulb for 25 seconds.
Then immediately stare at a white wall or sheet of paper.
What do you see?
You should see a glowing light bulb!
SOULMATES
When you look at this image, what colour are the left and right hearts?
Well, The hearts are actually the same colour, it is the lines over them that are of different colours.
Image source.
SPINNING DANCER
Is the lady spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise? You may even see the figure suddenly spin in the opposite direction if you look closely.
Did you know this figurine is used to determine whether or not people are right-brain (creative) or left-brain (logical) dominant?
Viewers are told that if they view the dancer as standing on her left leg and spinning clockwise, then they are right-brain dominant (creative), and if they see the reverse (the dancer standing on her right leg and spinning counter-clockwise), then they are left-brain dominant (logical).
Read more.
So how does it work? It has to do with our visual cues and bistable perception. This occurs when visual cues are ambiguous and our brain tries to make sense of it.
A path between rice fields
A work by Japanese artist Makoto Aida titled AZEMICHI.
This photograph shows a young Japanese schoolgirl standing between two rice fields.
The painting creates an optical illusion with the little girl’s parted hairline as it merges with the divide between the rice fields.
Read more.
Are you colourblind?
What number do you see in the circle?
Answer: You should be able to see the number 74, but people with red-green colour blindness see a 21. Those with total colour blindness see nothing.
For more colour blind test click here.
Direction confusion
Are both arrows pointing the same direction on the paper behind the glass?
What is happening? This image showcases the effects of refraction (the bending of light).
Read more.
DANCING DOG
Timing is everything.
Tell that to the man, busy reading his morning news.
I guess, “Dreams”, really do come true, doesn’t it?
Image source.
SPOT THE PREDATOR
In this image try finding the predator.
Then scroll down to the coloured version of the same image, and try again.
Why is it so easy this time? The reason is that the second image shows the surfaces according to the quality of light they reflect (not just their intensity), while in the first image you are only seeing the surfaces according to the amount of light they reflect.
In other words, your brain has a lot more information for making its decisions.
Read more.
If you liked our curated set of Optical Illusions for kids and are keen to learn more about Optics, join us now to receive an “Optics” box for your child next month. Sign up for our VIP Adventure to receive the first two boxes at HALF PRICE for $19/month. Join here.
Extra reading: check out our posts on 11 places to visit for your next science expedition and our blog on 11 best science fiction books for kids.
Optical illusions and errors of perception. What to do?
Ekaterina Didenko
Training department manager
Have you seen clouds today? Look to the sky right now.
And if they are there, take a closer look at who they look like. Maybe it's a giraffe or a white-maned horse? Maybe a monstrous grimace or a cute dragon?
Optical illusion: causes.
The ability to see the faces or figures of people and animals in inanimate objects is called pareidolia. This is a kind of optical illusion that we inherited from distant ancestors. Scientists believe that the ability to instantly recognize human faces is an ancient survival instinct. In the days of the savages, when life depended on the speed of reaction to the appearance of a stranger nearby, such an ability was formed. It is important not only to notice the approach, but also to assess the mood of the stranger - whether he is hostile or not. That is why we are able to quickly respond to the facial expression of another person and find the outlines of faces even where there are none.
In Psychological Science (US Monthly), researcher Dr. Colin Palmer of the School of Psychology says that people often see faces in everyday objects.
When asked why this phenomenon occurs, Dr. Palmer argues that the schematic perception of the face comes down to the spatial arrangement of the eyes and mouth. The rest of the image is drawn on this "frame". This is how, very quickly, but not quite accurately, our brain works to recognize who is in front of him, and whether this someone is a threat. According to the researcher, the brain is constantly scanning information, looking for familiar and expected objects in the outside world.
Do not discount the ability to see something, wishful thinking. If you distinguish the holy face on the toast, this does not speak of the toast, but of your expectations and how you interpret the world, psychologists will say. The result is one - inaccuracies of perception.
Mona Lisa on a leaf and Madonna made of chocolate
Optical illusion: how to use it.
On the other hand, what scientists call an illusion is a writer's everyday working tool. Creative vision constantly "finishes" the whole, there is a continuous fantasy work.
Do not consider atavism something that works well today.
There are people who use pareidolia as a hobby. For example, one blogger collects photos of objects resembling Hitler. In this photo, the structure's sloping roof is reminiscent of the dictator's famous bangs, and the slightly canopied doors are his signature mustache.
Optical disturbances of perception: when specialist help is required.
Someone is able to see even what is not there, and some people, on the contrary, experience difficulties with a holistic perception. They see the face, like a mosaic pieced together, in fragments.
Some details - eyebrows, mouth or nose - may be completely missing. Such serious violations are dealt with by our Color Testing and Color Correction Center at Polyanka. The selection of glasses with special colored lenses can make life much easier for people who have difficulty seeing. More about this here
Resume.
Despite the fact that we live in an age of technological progress, the world is still full of unsolved mysteries.
Sometimes it all depends on the angle of view from which we look at life. Whether to consider the abilities inherited from the ancestors as a superpower, whether to look for opportunities to cope with the shortcomings of perception, or not to pay attention to anything, living a boring and dull life - everyone decides for himself. And miracles are everywhere, you just have to want to see them!
Get your eyes checked once a year!
Make an appointment with a doctor
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Illusion is an optical illusion.
Types of optical illusion:
optical illusion based on color perception;
optical illusion based on contrast;
warp illusions;
optical illusion of depth perception;
optical illusion of size perception;
contour optical illusion;
optical illusion "changeling";
Ames room;
moving optical illusions.
stereo illusions, or, as they are also called: "3d pictures", stereo pictures.
ILLUSION OF BALL SIZE
Isn't it true that the size of these two balls is different? Is the top ball bigger than the bottom one?
This is actually an optical illusion: these two balls are absolutely equal. You can use the ruler to check. By creating the effect of a receding corridor, the artist managed to deceive our vision: the upper ball seems larger to us, because. our consciousness perceives it as a more distant object.
ILLUSION OF A.EINSTEIN AND M.MONROE
If you look at the picture from a close distance, you see the brilliant physicist A.Einstein.
Now try to move a few meters away, and ... a miracle, in the picture M. Monroe. Here everything seems to be done without optical illusion. But how?! No one painted on mustaches, eyes, hair. It’s just that from afar, vision does not perceive any little things, but it puts more emphasis on large details.
Invisible chair
The optical effect, which gives the viewer a false impression of the location of the seat, is due to the original design of the chair, invented by the French studio Ibride.
Look at the cross in the center
Peripheral vision turns pretty faces into monsters.
Ferris wheel
In which direction does the wheel spin?
Hypnosis
Stare without blinking at the middle of the image for 20 seconds, and then look at someone's face or just a wall.
WINDOW SIDE ILLUSION
Which side of the building is the window on? On the left or maybe on the right?
Once again our vision was deceived. How did this become possible? It is very simple: the upper part of the window is shown as a window located on the right side of the building (we look, as it were, from below), and the lower part is on the left (we look from above).
And vision perceives the middle, as consciousness considers it necessary. That's all deception.
Bar illusion
Look at these bars. Depending on which end you are looking at, the two pieces of wood will either be next to each other, or one of them will lie on top of the other.
A cube and two identical cups
An optical illusion created by Chris Westall. There is a cup on the table, next to which there is a cube with a small cup. However, upon closer inspection, we can see that in fact the cube is drawn, and the cups are exactly the same size. A similar effect is noticed only at a certain angle.
Cafe Wall Illusion
Look closely at the image. At first glance, it seems that all the lines are curved, but in fact they are parallel. The illusion was discovered by R. Gregory at the Wall Cafe in Bristol. That's where its name came from.
Illusion of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Above you see two pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. At first glance it looks like the tower on the right is leaning more than the one on the left, but the two pictures are actually the same. The reason lies in the fact that the visual system considers two images as part of a single scene. Therefore, it seems to us that both photographs are not symmetrical.
WAVY LINE ILLUSION
There is no doubt that the lines depicted are wavy.
Remember the name of the section - optical illusion. You're right, they are straight, parallel lines. And it's a twisting illusion.
Ship or arch?
This illusion is a true work of art. The picture was painted by Rob Gonsalves, a Canadian artist, a representative of the magical realism genre. Depending on where you look, you can either see the arch of a long bridge or the sail of a ship.
ILLUSION - GRAFFITI "LADDER"
Now you can relax and not think that there will be another optical illusion. Let's admire the imagination of the artist.
Such a graffiti was made by a miracle artist in the subway to the surprise of all passers-by.
DEHOLD EFFECT
Look at the picture and say which part of the red lines is brighter and more contrasting. On the right, right?
In fact, the red lines in the picture are no different from each other. They are absolutely identical, again an optical illusion. This is the Bezoldi effect, when we perceive the tonality of a color differently depending on its proximity to other colors.
COLOR CHANGE ILLUSION
Does the color of the horizontal gray line change into a rectangle?
The horizontal line in the picture does not change throughout and remains the same gray. Can't believe it, right? This is an optical illusion.
To verify this, cover the rectangle surrounding it with a piece of paper.
REDUCING SUN ILLUSION
This stunning photo of the sun was taken by the American space agency NASA. It shows two sunspots pointing directly at the Earth.
Something else is much more interesting. If you look around the edge of the Sun, you will see how it shrinks. This is really GREAT - no cheating, good illusion!
ZOLNER'S ILLUSION
Can you see that the herringbone lines in the picture are parallel?
I don't see either. But they are parallel - check with a ruler. My vision was also deceived. This is the famous classical Zolner illusion, which has existed since the 19th century. Because of the "needles" on the lines, it seems to us that they are not parallel.
ILLUSION-JESUS CHRIST
Look at the picture for 30 seconds (or more may be needed), then look at a bright, even surface, for example, a wall.
Before your eyes you saw the image of Jesus Christ, the image is similar to the famous Shroud of Turin. Why does this effect occur? The human eye contains cells called rods and cones. The cones are responsible for transmitting a color image to the human brain under good illumination, and the rods help a person see in the dark and are responsible for transmitting a low-definition black and white image. When you look at a black and white image of Jesus, the sticks get "tired" due to long and intense work. When you look away from the image, these “tired” cells can’t cope and can’t transmit new information to the brain. Therefore, the image remains before the eyes, and disappears when the sticks "come to their senses."
ILLUSION. THREE SQUARE
Sit closer and look at the picture. Do you see that the sides of all three squares are crooked?
I also see curved lines, even though the sides of all three squares are perfectly even.
When you move away from the monitor at some distance, everything falls into place - the square looks perfect. This is because the background causes our brain to perceive lines as curves. This is an optical illusion. When the background merges and we do not see it clearly, the square appears to be even.
ILLUSION. BLACK FIGURES
What do you see in the picture?
This is a classic illusion. Throwing a cursory glance, we see some incomprehensible figures. But after looking a little longer, we begin to distinguish the word LIFT. Our consciousness is accustomed to seeing black letters on a white background, and continues to perceive this word as well. It is very unexpected for our brain to read white letters on a black background. In addition, most people first look at the center of the picture, and this further complicates the task of the brain, because it is used to reading the word from left to right.
ILLUSION. OUCHI ILLUSION
Look at the center of the picture and you will see a "dancing" ball.
