TOYS, TRICKS, & TEASERS
The Spinning Cylinder Illusion
This is a toy, a puzzle, and an illusion all in one, with only one moving part. No batteries are required. I like simplicity, especially when it produces puzzling complexity.
I’ve not been able to track down the origin of this homemade toy, but it isn’t very well known outside the community of physics teachers. It’s a kinetic illusion, one that depends on physical motion to make you see something that isn’t there.
A familiar example of a kinetic illusion is the strobe effect sometimes seen in old movies, causing the spokes of a carriage wheel to seem to be turning in the ...
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