Size and Distance

Some of the most well known types of illusions, those based on the brain's tendancy to measure the size that something appears based on how far away it is can produce some extremely convincing tricks of the eye.

Eye test illusion thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Eye test illusion
Added: February 12, 2013 | 15 comment(s)
When you first look at this optical illusion image it is difficult to determine what exactly you are looking at. Here we have a black oblong shaped box with some strange white shapes inside it resembl...

Slanted house illusion thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Slanted house illusion
Added: February 12, 2013 | 8 comment(s)
Tobias Thierer took this photograph of a house on Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand. You might be forgiven for thinking that the people who live there would have difficulties getting in and out o...

Sphere Sizes thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Sphere Sizes
Added: February 12, 2013 | 17 comment(s)
This picture shows two spheres in a brick cul-de-sac, but how large is the sphere in the foreground compared to the sphere in the background ? Another example of the Ebbinghaus illusion these two sphe...

Leaning Tower Illusion thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Leaning Tower Illusion
Added: February 12, 2013 | 22 comment(s)
These two images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa are identical but if you look at them closely you'll notice that the tower on the right appears to be leaning more than the one on the left even though th...

Train Tracks thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Train Tracks
Added: February 12, 2013 | 12 comment(s)
On this picture of some train tracks there are two horizontal bars. Which one is longer ? While the topmost one appears to be longer than the one at the bottom the truth is they are both the same leng...

Table Size Illusion thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Table Size Illusion
Added: February 12, 2013 | 16 comment(s)
These two tables in this image by Roger Shepard appear to be different sizes, the one on the left is oriented vertically and seems to be longer and thinner. Remarkably, both tables are actually exactl...

Ebbinghaus Illusion  thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Ebbinghaus Illusion
Added: February 12, 2013 | 6 comment(s)
The Ebbinghaus Illusion, also known as Titchener circles is an image of two circles with additional circles around them. In this case the orange circle on the left is surrounded by large blue circles ...

Floating Circle thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Floating Circle
Added: February 12, 2013 | 14 comment(s)
The circle in the middle of this picture looks as though its floating above the background. It looks like the blurring on the pattern of the circle creates the illusion that it is closer to your eyes ...

Hot dog Space Shuttle thumbCategory: Size and Distance
Hot dog Space Shuttle
Added: February 12, 2013 | 15 comment(s)
A classic example of an illusion involving near and far away objects so that the larger distant object appears smaller than the object in the foreground. In this case the photographer is pictured with...