# Optical Illusions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120 "2002-09-29T18:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/1 "2002-09-29T18:11:11Z")
[Optical illusions](http://persci.mit.edu/gaz/gaz-teaching/index.html) These aren’t just your regular optical illusions where after looking at it differently you can tell what it really is. They are actual tricks of the light that make you see things in differen’t shades than they really are. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/2 "2002-09-29T18:17:19Z")
That is pretty cool, although I could’ve done without the soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![JfMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@JfMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JfMen)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/3 "2002-09-29T19:47:05Z")
\*\*[Checkerboard illusion](http://fff.fathom.org/forums/showthread.php?&threadid=12211) \*\* ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/4 "2002-09-29T23:48:05Z")
I’ve been looking at the checkerboard illusion, **JfMen** , but I don’t get it. It says the squares marked A and B are the same shade of grey. I’ve been studying the picture and I really don’t believe that is the case. Anyone else flumuxed by this? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/5 "2002-09-29T23:49:42Z")
(sorry for hijacking the thread slightly, **Sterra** ) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/6 "2002-09-29T23:51:03Z")
Copy the image into a paint program, then grab one of the areas and move it over the other. Very striking. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/7 "2002-09-29T23:54:19Z")
That is pretty amazing! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/8 "2002-09-30T01:45:20Z")
If you’re too lazy to bring it to photoshop, then it’s explained here: [![](http://www.tangmonkey.com/news/images/ufile_1033077874.jpg) ](http://www.tangmonkey.com/news/images/ufile_1033077874.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/9 "2002-09-30T02:20:13Z")
That is SO cool…but I HAVE to stop playing now and go do my homework…maybe I’ll just look at just ONE more… ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/10 "2002-09-30T03:06:20Z")
These are very cool and the checkerboard one in particular reminds me of the late, great Gene Scarpantoni, my first wonderful art teacher. One of his mantras was “Black in the light is lighter than white in the shadow.” Some of the students had it put on a tee shirt for him. I don’t think they’re “tricks of the light”, though, **Sterra**. I think they’re tricks of perception. Your brain is fooling your eyes because it believes light is involved when it isn’t. If that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optical-illusions/130120/11 "2002-09-30T19:11:03Z")
My favorite is the spinning pinwheel illusion found here [http://www.dhodrien.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Illusions/illusions.html](http://www.dhodrien.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Illusions/illusions.html) Go near the bottom of the page, click the picture and download the zip file. Stare at the dot for a minute or two, then look at something else. It is the closest thing to a hallucinogen that doesn’t require you to take anything.