Quizzes & Puzzles0 min ago
Wheels.
12 Answers
Why do wagon wheels appear to be going backwards? I was told years ago but have forgotten. I think it has something to do with strobes.
Answers
It's because each frame of the film shows the spokes in a particular position. If in the following frame the spoke has, say, moved 90% forward towards to the place where the spoke in front of it had been, your brain interprets that as an apparent 10% movement backwards instead.
The wheel can appear to be going either clockwise or anticlockwise depending on the rotational speed of it, compared to the speed the film frames are being taken/viewed.
The wheel can appear to be going either clockwise or anticlockwise depending on the rotational speed of it, compared to the speed the film frames are being taken/viewed.
our eyes work like video cameras when looking at wheels spin. We see frame by frame, unless we follow a SINGLE spoke then we see the wheel go round very fast. These frames are slightly out of tempo which causes the wagon wheel affect. If they are in tempo, the affect isn't present. It's usually slightly under tempo rather than over giving the appearance that the wheel is going backwards, but in reality it's actually going forwards twice as fast.
This is very hard to articulate and i'm glad FF provided a video because well.. there go you :)
This is very hard to articulate and i'm glad FF provided a video because well.. there go you :)