Some optical illusions are physiological. This means that they're caused by some sort of physical means in the eyes or the brain.

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Hi, Christian! This Wonder of the Day was published several years ago, but the conversation is ongoing! We're glad you stopped by and we hope you'll keep WONDERing!

Scientists believe optical illusions are possible because our brains are so good at recognizing patterns and “seeing" familiar objects. Our brains work quickly to make a “whole" image from separate pieces.

Opticalmeaning in Hindi

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We're so happy to hear that this Wonder about optical illusions made you WONDER even more, Jack! Thank you so much for sharing this comment with us today! :-)

Some optical illusions make us dizzy, too, Hayden! We still think they are SUPER fun to try and figure out, though! Thanks for hanging out in Wonderopolis today! :-)

You sure do know a LOT about optical illusions, Allison! Thanks so much for sharing your comment with us. We're glad you chose to explore a Wonder that was so interesting to you! Optical illusions are fun and fascinating to us, too, and we LOVE looking at books filled with illusions. It's really cool to learn how our eyes, brains and bodies work together to try and fool us, isn't it? :-)

Thanks for visiting our Wonder about optical illusions, Loredana! We're glad you thought the video was AMAZING! We're sorry to hear the Wonder didn't include enough information for your research! We hope you will WONDER with us again soon! :)

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Optical illusions are images or pictures that we perceive differently than they really are. Put another way, optical illusions occur when our eyes send information to our brains that tricks us into perceiving something that does not match reality.

Do your eyes ever play tricks on you? Maybe you've seen something that puzzled you so much that you had to rub your eyes and look again? Chances are you may have been tricked by an optical illusion.

Thanks for leaving us this super comment, Jenna! We really like trying to figure out optical illusions, too...it's a FUN thing to do! :-)

Opticalmeaning in computer

Hi there, Skylar! We're so excited to hear that you and your brother have been enjoying our Wonder about optical illusions! We Wonder if you and your brother learned anything new from this Wonder? It's pretty cool! Thanks for sharing your comment and WONDERing with us, Skylar! :-)

His Waterfall is a classic example of a paradox illusion. Do you see how the water from the waterfall appears to travel uphill before once again reaching the top of the waterfall?

That's what makes illusions FUN, Sarah! It's really cool to try and figure them out, isn't it? Thanks so much for leaving us this awesome comment today! :-)

Optics

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Doesn't the line in the middle look longer than the ones above and below it? However, all three lines are the same length!

Other optical illusions are cognitive. Cognitive illusions, such as ambiguous, distorting and paradox illusions, occur when our brains automatically make assumptions based on the information sent from the eyes. These illusions are sometimes called “mind games."

Hi there, HahaXD! We love receiving and reading the comments from our Wonder Friends, and we LOVE commenting back! It's what friends do! Thanks for leaving us this GREAT comment today! :-)

The Mach band illusion is an example of a physiological illusion. The line in the middle of the picture is one solid color. However, because of how the eye's retina filters the different shades on either side of the line, the right side of the line appears darker, while the left side of the line appears lighter.

You can make stuff like that too, Lily! We think it would be so fun to make that mirror project. If you decide to give it a try, let us know! Thanks so much for hanging out in Wonderopolis today! :-)

As cool as the other side of the pillow, Emma. ? Thanks for checking out this Wonder of the Day! Have you ever seen an optical illusion?

Opticalmeaning

Paradox illusions occur as a result of pictures or objects that cannot exist or are physically impossible. Paradox illusions are popular in works of art, such as those made famous by artist M. C. Escher.

Good morning, Jaden! We agree, that mirror is a really cool thing! Let us know if you build one...we'd love to hear all about it! Thanks so much for being a friend of Wonderopolis and for posting today! :-)

Thanks for asking, Lucy! We ask that Wonderopolis be listed as the author. Since we do not list the publish date for our Wonders of the Day, you may put the date you accessed this page for information. The following is how you would cite this page ---> "What Is An Optical Illusion?" Wonderopolis, https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-an-optical-illusion. Accessed 24 Mar. 2017.

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We're so excited you learned something new with us, Wonder Friend Nicole! :) Optical illusions sure can be tricky from time to time, and we are glad you've been WONDERing all about them today! Nice work-- we hope to see you soon! :)

Hi there, Daesha! We really appreciate your comment! Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed learning about optical illusions in Wonderopolis today! :-)

We're glad you liked this Wonder of the Day®, The Picador! We think optical illusions are super cool, too! Did you explore all the links (the colored text) inside this Wonder? There are LOTS of other links found on the web pages that those links lead to. That adds up to LOTS of optical illusion FUN! :-)

Hi, Haley! We hope you'll embark on a Wonder Journey of your own to learn even more about optical illusions! Have fun WONDERing! :)

Hi, Ayden! We're glad you learning lots of new stuff! We encourage you to keep researching at the library and online! Thanks for stopping by to find information for your project! :)

Ambiguous illusions are pictures or objects that can be seen in more than one way. Rubin's vase is one popular example of an ambiguous illusion. Can you see both the vase and the two faces?

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Distorting illusions use different techniques to make objects of similar size, length or curvature appear distorted. A famous example of a distorting illusion is the Müller-Lyer illusion.

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