2.  Ames Room is a form of optical illusion.  Optical illusions are visually perceived images that differ from the images reality.  Ames Room was influenced by Physicist Hermann von Helmholtz’s writings (1934) and constructed by ophthalmologist Adelbert Ames (1935).

3.  This idea and its’ design relate to many topics in physics. For example; › Optics and › Gravity  Ames room design gives explanation to; › “Magnetic” and “Gravity” hills  A gravity hill is an incline in which when a ball is placed at the bottom, the ball appears to move upwards along the incline, thus, “defying” gravity.  As stated optical illusions are visually perceived differently than the actual image. Ames Room and “Gravity” hills are both examples of optical illusions.

4. The unique design of Ames room makes people see drastic height differences between the people standing in it. But in actuality… (click link to see an actual Ames Room) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsCow7Xc58w&f eature=related

5. Room Design

6.  Ames room is built so that from the front (or viewer hole) it looks like an ordinary cube - shaped room, with a back wall, two side walls parallel to each other and perpendicular to the horizontal floor and ceiling. BUT, this is a trick of perception and the true shape of the room is a trapezoid. The side walls are slanted and the ceiling and floor are at an incline. The right corner is much closer to the front of the room and the observer than the left corner (or vice versa).  As a result of the optical illusion, a person standing in one corner appears as a giant to the observer, while a person standing in the other corner appears to be a dwarf. The illusion is convincing enough that a person walking back and forth from the left corner to the right corner seems to grow or shrink!  Studies have shown that this illusion can be re-created without the use of walls. All that is needed is an apparent horizon for the human eye to percept the height differences “incorrectly.”

7.  Ames room, like all other optical illusions, is possible because we have figured out the physics of sight and the human eye. Without this knowledge, things like Ames room and Gravity hill would not be possible.