Background: An optical illusion uses patterns and colors to produce an illusion. When your eyes see the illusion and send information to your brain, it creates a perception that is different from the true image. Look at this bit.ly/floating_cube. The artist used shading, angled lines, and creative manipulation of the paper to create the illusion that a cube is floating above a piece of paper.
Considerations: As you plan your optical illusion, consider these questions:
-How can you use shading to create the illusion of light, shadow, and dimension?
-How can you create an optical illusion that is caused by moving an image or illustration?
-How can you modify one of these bit.ly/_optical_illusions to create your own original illusion?
Goal: Create an optical illusion! This can be a drawing, a 3D creation, a video, or a photograph.
Share your creation with the world and tag #thinkerspacechallenge.
Modifications for Younger Learners: Show your students how to create an bit.ly/optical_illusions_with_their_hand. Ask them to think about what makes it look 3D. Challenge your students to trace another object and use curved lines or shading to give it the appearance that it is three-dimensional.