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This train track optical illusion is melting the internet's brain

What is this sorcery?

YESTERDAY, BBC ACADEMY’S Marc Blank-Settle posted the following video of his toddler’s train track and melted the internet’s brain.

In the video, he shows two tracks side by side. One piece looks noticeably larger than the other, but when you stack them on top of one another, they appear to be the same size.

What is this sorcery?

If you can’t view the video, please click here.

It doesn’t make any sense!

GIFjigs Source: marc blank-settle/Twitter

The video quickly went viral and people were thoroughly spooked.

head Source: Kellyintenn/Twitter

track Source: Tess Townsend/Twitter

So what is the deal? Are our eyes merely deceiving us?

In a word, yes.

Blank-Settle later clarified that it’s down to something called the Jastrow Illusion, which is explained as thus:

The lower figure seems distinctly the larger, because its long side is brought into contrast with the shorter side of the other figure.

Like so.

oie_222048543d74NL4p Source: Illuminutti

You learn something new every day, huh?

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About the author:

Amy O'Connor

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