Why the Video of Toy Train Track Is an Optical Illusion
Why This Video of a Simple Toy Is Blowing the Internet's Mind
An innocent toy meant for children is tormenting adults across the internet thanks to a puzzling video that's going viral. Along with a clip posted to Twitter that shows the baffling optical illusion in action, Marc Blank-Settle wrote that his toddler's train track is freaking him out – two identical pieces, when placed side by side, look to be two very different sizes. Although the pieces appear to be the same size when placed on top of each other, one looks drastically longer when they are compared alongside each other. Can you make sense of this or are you also completely stumped?
Spoiler alert: it's because of the Jastrow illusion, which happens when the shorter side of the top arch contrasts with the longer side of the bottom arch. Basically, the two pieces are the same size but because of perspective and their curved shape, the top segment of the track looks bigger when it's compared to the bottom part.
The Jastrow illusion blows my damn mind https://t.co/GPKy3EbkQP pic.twitter.com/cfKMRQCTE1
— Kyle Hill (@Sci_Phile) February 22, 2016
