You are looking at a pattern of rectangles sitting in front of a multicolored background. For most people, the pattern appears to expand or, if you press the “click to reverse direction” button, to contract. The perception of expansion or contraction (of “rainbow boom” or “rainbow bust”–an economic metaphor) occurs even though the image is completely still. […]
This post concerns what is probably the most frequently encountered visual illusion in the United States–and possibly the world–yet most people don’t know that it is there. If you have not yet seen this illusion, then be prepared, because once it is pointed out to you, you will see it all the time and, perhaps, […]
