Kids 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. ILLUSION OF THE COLOR OF THE WORD
Say quickly and without thinking the color of the letters in which the words below are written:
To some extent, this is not an optical illusion, but a puzzle.
It is really difficult to name the color of a word, because of the conflict that occurs between the left and right hemisphere. The right half tries to say the color, and the left half reads the word intensely, because of this, confusion arises in our minds.
ILLUSION-GREEN SHADES
You have already guessed that the picture shows not two shades of green, but the same green color.
And you can already explain this optical illusion yourself – the brain perceives them as different shades due to the contrast of the colors next to them. To check this, it is enough just to cover the environment with a sheet of paper.
PICTURE ILLUSION. SHINING TUNNEL
There will be no optical illusion here. To appreciate this illusion, you need to look at the center of the ball for some time.
The picture will show itself in a few seconds. You will be able to see the tunnel start flashing, some will see stronger "flashes".
The flickering illusion in this picture is related to the black and white vision of the eye. As you know, special cells - sticks - are responsible for it. In the case of their "overvoltage", these cells "get tired" and we see such an illusion.
PICTURE ILLUSION. SEA WAVES ON THE PLANE
Look at the picture and you will see the illusion of a wave, as if the image "came to life". To enhance the effect, you can move your head or eyes around.
This illusion is related to the different colors (white and pink) of the intermediate links between the peas. The white color is seen clearly and brightly, but the pink color, when you do not look closely at it, merges with green and becomes difficult to distinguish. And in the picture there is an illusion that the distance between the peas is changing.
PICTURE ILLUSION. SPIRAL GOING TO INFINITY
You will ask: “Well, what is the illusion behind this picture? Ordinary spiral»
In fact, this is an unusual spiral, and it is not a spiral at all.
This is an optical illusion! The picture shows the usual completed circles, and the blue lines create the illusion of a spiral due to the swirling effect.
PICTURE ILLUSION. GOBLET OF WINE
What do you see in this picture? What is the illusion here?
If, in addition to the goblet of wine, you can see two faces looking at each other in the “legs” of the goblet, you can be congratulated!
PICTURE ILLUSION. WAVY SIDES OF SQUARE
Try and guess what kind of illusion is hidden in this picture.
If you see the wavy lines of the sides of the squares, it's not surprising, because it's an illusion! Using a ruler, you can determine that the sides of the squares are straight and even.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. HIGH HAT
Estimate the height of the hat and its width and answer the question: "Are the segments AB and CD equal?"
I really liked this optical illusion.
It's incredible, but the height and width of the hat are exactly the same, i.e. segment AB is equal to CD. Due to the fact that the edges of the hat are bent on the sides, and the person's face, on the contrary, is elongated, an optical illusion is created that the height of the hat is greater than the width. This can be explained by the fact that our brain takes into account the size of the surrounding objects. If you measure the segments with a ruler or simply cover the person's face with a sheet of paper, the optical illusion will disappear.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. GRAY DIAMONDS
Are all gray diamonds the same color? Isn't it true that the lower layers of rhombuses are lighter than the upper ones?
The color of all rhombuses is exactly the same. This optical illusion can again be explained by the environment. Our brain compares objects with the environment, and an optical illusion occurs.
OPTICAL ILLUSION.
A GIANT CHASSING A Dwarf
Do you think the giant will catch up with the dwarf?
I will not give an answer to this question. But I know for sure that “fear has big eyes” and that these two figures are exactly the same. Our consciousness has been caught in an optical illusion, due to the corridor going into the distance, it perceives that the distant figure should be smaller.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. BLACK AND WHITE DOTS
It's a fairly simple task to count the number of black dots in a picture.
The correct answer is 0. There are no black dots in the picture, all dots are white. Our peripheral vision perceives them as black. Because with lateral vision, there is a shift in the picture, but when we look at the same point directly, the optical illusion disappears.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. HORIZONTAL LINES
Can you see the horizontal lines in the picture?
In fact, all lines are not only parallel to each other, but are also horizontal.
You can use the ruler to check.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. SPIRAL
Is it a spiral? Is not it?
Take a closer look and you will see an optical illusion, in fact, these are even circles. But due to the geometric pattern and selected colors, the illusion of shifting the lines of circles arises in consciousness.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. PINK LINES
The picture shows pink lines crossing each other diagonally. Different shade, right?
In fact, the pink lines are completely identical to each other, it is the same shade of pink. This optical illusion is based on the contrast of colors surrounding the pink lines.
OPTICAL ILLUSION. LADDER
I ask you to answer the question: "Where does the staircase lead, up or down?"
The correct answer depends on which side you look at. If you imagine red as the front wall, then up, if yellow, then down.
