Ames' Window

This perspective window by Adelbert Ames upsets size-shape scaling to produce remarkable effects. Running time: 1min 19sec.

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  People & Blogs

[luchamini]

My brain has no idea what I just watched.

[GarlicPepper]

did my eyes die?

[DeviMon1]

not for me, looking at it and can't understand shit

[zhangruisi]

haha, so true

[Munchanse]

Is this Gregory Baison voice?

[Matt Jones]

The rotating base with the sticker ruined it!

[12131AllDay]

that top comment made me laugh so hard

[mosesmosestv]

Yes and seriously you didn't need quite so detailed a commentary

[IRMacGuyver]

You put the camera too low and it blew the illusion.

[highlifescenery7]

Our brains are tricked because our brains assume that angles are right angles. For the most part, the window looked like a rectangle. But it’s actually a trapezoid (narrower on one end) and therefore does not have right angles. Under the assumption that it’s the same width on either side, your brain makes the wrong inference on what direction it’s rotating! Which Is what creates the illusion where the stick penetrates through the contours of the window.

[dalozzmeister]

Yep, everyone can. Which way it starts spinning determines which side of your brain is the most dominant, and it changes direction at different times for everyone. Check out the 'rotating dancer' illusion for the same effect.

[Dick Butt]

argh my head