Psychologists spent a lot of time studying the features of visual perception. It turned out that under certain conditions it is quite possible to deceive even the most sophisticated observer, creating an optical illusion that can cause bewilderment and surprise. It was to demonstrate one of the optical effects that Ames's room was invented.
How Ames’s room is arranged
In the mid 30-ies of the last century, the American ophthalmologist Albert Ames invented, designed and built a structure designed to demonstrate an interesting optical illusion.
The scientist’s invention had the appearance of an irregularly shaped room and was called the Ames room.
At first glance, the magic room has a standard look. The room looks like a standard cube having a back wall and two side walls that are parallel to each other. Ceiling and floor surfaces appear horizontal. But in fact, Ames's room is a three-dimensional trapezoid. Its walls, ceiling and floor are slightly tilted. Most importantly, the left corner of the room is located much further than the right, if you look at the back wall from the side of the observer who entered the room.
To create a sense of reality, pictures in a special way suit the interior of the room. The situation is carried out so that it does not contain the slightest sign of difference in distance. The floor is decorated with a pattern of squares, which in fact are not, but have the shape of rhombuses. The size of the coating elements in the corner closest to the observer is smaller than in the opposite. In addition, the floor level is not made strictly horizontal, but with a slope. That's just the eye is not able to catch such subtleties.
