We know that mirrors can mislead by seeming to switch left-right symmetry but we do not expect it to change the shapes of things. But Mark Frauenfelder brings to my attention this fine illusion by Kokichi Sugihara that makes what looks like circles get reflected as squares and vice versa.
Can you figure out how this illusion works? The solution is given below the fold.
Here is someone who has figured it out and has produced a video explaining it.
That’s rather clever, and quite interesting.
Well, I figured out the general idea, but not the exact shape it had to be. Partial credit?
Some of the more complex objects are pretty amazing.
If you like this sort of thing, may I recommend the Swiss artist Markus Raetz, who has been playing with this sort of thing since the 80s.
Here’s an illusion that’s not so good:
TV presenter impaled on nail, after illusionist persuades her to trust chance