Project Plan

Our aim is to investigate optical illusions; how they work and why they work.

We have divided the project into 8 different parts:

1. Introduction: A general investigation of optical illusions.

2. Motion and time

3. Luminance and contrast

4. Colour

5. Geometric and angle

6. Space, 3D and Size constancy

7. Cognitive-/ Gestalt effects

8. Further investigation: Making our own optical illusion

We will approach each type of illusion from both biological and physical perspectives. The information will be collected from both scientific literature and also online sources, some of which are listed on the right. The illusions with most potential of yielding interesting results will then be tested experimentally, for example, to answer the question: what effects how strongly we perceive this illusion? Our experimental techniques will include educated guesswork, trial and error and also some experiments conducted through computer programs, which should give us suitable material for statistical analysis.

The final product will have three parts:

1. A seminar: Explaning optical illusion through demonstration and interactions with an audience.

2. A brochure: Easy to read with examples, so that everyone can take part in our results.

3. A scientific report: Describing our project in detail for those interested, more in depth.