That's welcome back in GERMAN! The person who's inspired the invention of the content in this post is german, so i guess i owe him. :D
MAGIC! I've always always been fascinated by magic and marveled at its brilliant illusions. Whenever I see magic, I challenge myself to figure out how it's done, and more than often end up on the internet. It wasn't long before I noticed that most magicians are something more than maniacs and lightning-speed-executers, but also geniuses who are really proficient in physics. And then it dawned on me that the whole magic ensemble revolves around the wonders of physics. That knowledge then lured me into the world of physics, and I'm not surprised at myself, as I often get carried away into the deep tunnels of researching about anything I've just discovered, particularly if it's got a tinge of science in it.
So here I was researching all I could about physics and how it influenced the world of magic, when I met with my old friend, optical illusions. As a kid, I was madly fascinated with being deceived by optical illusions, until some moron started the whole craze on youtube of uploading videos of optical illusions with a horrifyingly frightening pop-up at the end. I had said farewell to optical illusions since becoming prey to one of those, until recently, when i got hooked back on thanks to the discovery of a wickedly convincing optical illusion - The Ames Room.
Instead of ranting about how cool it is, I should just let you see it because firstly, that would be less labour-intensive for me and secondly, it would mesmerize you just as much. So here we go.
BAM!
GENIUS OR WHAT?!
Now after seeing the video, I don't think you'll need much explanation, but if you're still lost, allow me to enlighten you. :D Let's learn a little about the history of one of the most convincing optical illusions.
*adapted from Wiki*
The invention of The Ames Room was probably influenced by the writings of Hermann Helmholtz (the awesome German dude) and it was invented by American ophthalmologist Adelbert Ames, Jr. in 1934, and constructed in the following year.
So, basically what the Ames Room does, is play with your visual perception, making you think that the person or object on the left is miniature, while that on the right is gigantic. This is done by distorting the structure of the room, but the illusion only works when you look at it from the right perspective. To ensure this, Science Museums create a hole on one of the wall and call it a peephole, which is positioned at the exact point where the illusion would be most convincing. As for the structure, it is made to look perfectly normal from the front ( or rather, the peephole ), when it's actually trapezoidal in shape. The walls are slanted and the ceiling and floor are at an incline, and the right corner is much closer to the front-positioned observer than the left corner, or vice-versa. Here's a couple of diagrams to make the interpretation a lot easier.
AMAZING RIGHT?
Now, this cool illusion doesn't stay stagnant as just another showpiece in science museums, it has proved it's potential and found it's place in the special effects department in media as well.
The Ames Room played its part in...
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which the room is used to portray the heights of the diminutively-sized hobbits correctly when standing next to the taller Gandalf.
The 1971 film adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The 1961 television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in which the room was used to show an attempt to make two characters (one standing on each side of the room) lose their minds.
The cover of "On the Level", a 1975 album by the rock band Status Quo features the band in an Ames Room.
The 2012 music video "Scream" by Korean band 2NE1 features an Ames room with two dancers changing positions from one side to another while CL, one of the band members sings and dances hiding the middle part of the room.
So, the legendary illusion of an Ames Room has been leaving its legacy from as early as the 1960s till now, not failing to astonish everyone along the way. Wow.
P.S. All the translations in by blog are from Google Translate, if if there is any inaccuracy, i'm not the culprit. :D
Leaving for now to scavenge for more wondrous ideas,
The Mad scientist with a phD in zoology,
Rotten Cheesecake :D
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