How much do you know your mind? - part II

I would like to show second part How much do you know your mind (I will remind you fist part is available at: http://pjwstk1ms.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-much-do-you-know-your-mind.html).

Today I would like to focus on nicer part -examples and facts. Please enjoy…

Here some examples of illusion. I can called them the most famous.

#1 Geometrical illusions:

The gray line is horizontal but appears to tilt counterclockwise in the upper image. In the lower image, the horizontal gray lines appear to tilt clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise from the top to the bottom, respectively. When the line is black, the illusions is called the Münsterberg illusion.

The parallel line appear to curve outward.

The horizontal lines appear to tilt to the right and the left alternately. This illusion is characterized by acute-angle expansion.

The square appears to be distorted in which the right side appears to be tapered.

Are these lines straight and parallel?

I know it’s hard to believe but all these lines are straight, and parallel to one another.

The reason that you see the lines as wavy it’s because of positioning this white and black squares within the larger one.

Look at the picture one more time. The tiny black squares are always positioned closest to the larger black squares. The tiny white squares lie closest to the large white squares.

This illusion is created by your brain in a similar manner to Richard Gregory’s café wall illusion.

You see the lines as wavy because of the clever positioning of the tiny black and white squares within the larger main squares.

Notice the tiny black squares are always positioned closest to the larger black squares. The tiny white squares lie closest to the large white squares.

Your eyes and brain detects and accentuates the small gap that lies between one of the tiny squares and the line dividing the main squares.

This has the effect of producing lots of wedges, which your brain puts together and concludes you are looking at non-parallel wavy lines.

#2

Lift your right foot a few inches from the floor and then begin to move it in a clockwise direction. While you’re doing this, use a finger your right index finger to draw a number 6 in the air. Your foot will turn in an anticlockwise direction and there’s nothing you can do about it!

The left side of your brain, which controls the right side of your body, is responsible for rhythm and timing. The left side of your brain cannot deal with operating two opposite movements at the same time and so it combines them into a single motion.

#3 Depth perception

Depth perception is the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions (3D). Looking at a sight that you have not seen before or entering into a 3d cinema with one eyes closed will alter the way your mind perceives things.

#4

Stare at the central point (plus sign) of the black and white picture for atleast 30 seconds and then look at a wall near you, you will see a bright spot, twinkle a few times, what do you see? or even who do you see?

#5

Stare at the eye of the red parrot while you slowly count to 20, then immediately look at one spot in the empty birdcage. The faint, ghostly image of a blue-green bird should appear in the cage. Try the same thing with the green cardinal, and a faint magenta bird should appear.

When an image is looked at for a length of time (usually around 30 seconds) and then replaced with a white field, one type pf an effect called an afterimage can be seen. The common explanation given for an afterimage is that the photoreceptors (rods and cones) in the eye become “fatigued”, and do not work as well as the those photoreceptors that were not affected (the “fatigue” is actually caused by the temporary bleaching of the light sensitive pigments contained within the photoreceptors) This results in the information that is provided by the photoreceptors not being in balance, causing the afterimages to appear. As the photoreceptors become less “fatigued”, which takes between ten and thirty seconds, the balance is recovered, resulting in the afterimage disappearing.

Now do another trick to confuse your photoreceptors.

This will temporarily blind you from one eye :-) but don’t be afraid it won't harm and only temporary. Go into a room, shut the door and turn out the lights so that the room is mostly dark. Wait until your eyes adapt to the darkness. You should be able to make out the basic shapes of the room from the tiny bit of light coming in from under the door. Next, close your right eye and cover it with your hand. Turn the light on, keeping your eye closed and covered. Leave the light on for about a minute or until your left eye has adapted to the light. Uncover your eye and look around the darkened room.
What do you see? What you might experience is an illusion discovered by researcher Uta Wolfe in which it seems that your left eye is closed, even though it is open.
The explaination to this is the visual cycle that takes time to be adapted, when it is not adapted as for the left eye, the eye will send wrong signals to the brain thus image would be darkened for the left eye until it adapts.

~~ Few years ago that guy become most famous magician ever. Using the imperfection of human brain as a part of the job? Not so bad, I think. ~~

Questions:

1) Do you know some other illusion? If yes, fell free to share...