Floating Boxes Optical Illusion

Shadow 23 August 2013 1 Comment

The two illustrations below are nearly identical. The only difference between these two images is the placement of the square shadows beneath each of the cubes. In the upper image, the square shadows are placed just below the cubes making them appear to be hovering slightly above the checkered-pattern surface. In the lower image, two of the shadows (the second and third) are placed further away from the cubes. This gives each of the cubes the appearance of hovering even higher above the surface. Shadows give our brains important clues that help to determine the physical orientation of objects in space. Because of this, shadows can also be used to easily fool us.