OLogy: Optical Illusions and How They Work
What you see and what you think you see are different things. Find out what your brain doing behind-the-scenes!
Seeing is believing, right? Well, actually… What you see and what you think you see are different things. Your senses gather information and send it to your brain. But your brain does not simply receive this information—it creates your perception of the world. This means that sometimes your brain fills in gaps when there is incomplete information, or creates an image that isn’t even there!
Why does this happen? Evolution! Survival depends on fast reactions. Your brain has evolved to work quickly to piece together whatever bits and fragments it can get—and to do its best to figure out the rest.
Want proof of the work your brain is doing behind the scenes? Set your sights on some mind-bending optical illusions!
The science website for kids from the American Museum of Natural History.
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What you see and what you think you see are different things. Find out what your brain doing behind-the-scenes!
Seeing is believing, right? Well, actually… What you see and what you think you see are different things. Your senses gather information and send it to your brain. But your brain does not simply receive this information—it creates your perception of the world. This means that sometimes your brain fills in gaps when there is incomplete information, or creates an image that isn’t even there!
Why does this happen? Evolution! Survival depends on fast reactions. Your brain has evolved to work quickly to piece together whatever bits and fragments it can get—and to do its best to figure out the rest.
Want proof of the work your brain is doing behind the scenes? Set your sights on some mind-bending optical illusions!
The science website for kids from the American Museum of Natural History.
