White’s illusion is a visual phenomenon in which two identical gray bars are placed on a background of alternating black and white stripes.
The gray bars appear to be different shades of gray, with the one on the white stripes appearing lighter than the one on the black stripes.
This illusion is caused by the contrast between the gray bars and the surrounding stripes, which can affect our perception of the gray bars’ brightness.
In the image below, both gray bars have the exact same color.
Table of Contents
- How does the White’s illusion work?
- Versions of the White’s illusion
- Illusions like the White’s illusion
- Discovery of the White’s illusion
- References and Resources
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How does the White’s Illusion work?
White’s illusion works by exploiting the way our visual system processes contrast.
The gray bars in the illusion are surrounded by a background of alternating black and white stripes, which creates a high-contrast situation.
Our visual system tends to perceive the gray bars as being more similar in color to the stripes that are closest to them, rather than as a neutral gray.
As a result, the gray bar on the white stripes appears lighter than the gray bar on the black stripes, even though they are the same color.
This is because the white stripes make the gray bar on them appear lighter in comparison, while the black stripes make the gray bar on them appear darker in comparison.
It is important to note that the illusion is not due to the bars themselves, but to the high-contrast background. If the background were uniform, there would be no illusion.
Versions of the White’s Illusion
The following are some alternate versions of the White’s Illusion:
Illusions like the White’s Illusion
Color illusions work by exploiting the way that the human visual system processes color and light. The human eye is able to detect light in the visible spectrum, which consists of different wavelengths of light that correspond to different colors. The brain then interprets this information to create our perception of color. However, the way the brain perceives color is not always a perfect representation of the physical reality.
There are several factors that can influence the way that the visual system processes color and light, which can lead to the perception of illusions. These factors include:
Contrast: The way that the brain perceives color can be influenced by the surrounding colors and patterns. High-contrast borders around an area of color can cause the brain to interpret the color as spreading or “bleeding” beyond the actual boundaries of the object.
Lighting conditions: The way that the brain perceives color can also be affected by the lighting conditions. For example, when an object is viewed in bright light, the eye’s color receptors may become fatigued, causing the brain to perceive colors differently than they actually are.
Color adaptation: The brain adapts to the colors that we see over time, which can influence the perception of color. For example, if an individual looks at a red object for an extended period of time, the brain will adapt to the red, and when that person looks at a white object, it will appear to have a pinkish hue.
Color constancy: The brain is able to adjust the perception of color based on the context in which it is viewed. This can create illusions where the same color appears to be different depending on the surrounding colors.
Shape use: Some illusions like the Hermann grid illusion or the Cafe Wall illusion, use specific patterns and shapes to manipulate the perception of color and shape.
Some related illusions include the following:
The simultaneous contrast illusion is a visual effect that occurs when the perception of a color is affected by the colors of the surrounding area.
The illusion creates the appearance of a change in the color of an object, even though the actual color of the object remains constant.
The Neon Color Spreading illusion refers to the visual phenomenon where an area of color appears to spread or “bleed” beyond its intended boundaries.
The Bezold Effect: This illusion is created by placing two or more colors next to each other, and the way they appear to change when they are close to one another.
The Mach Band Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives edges of an object. When an object has a gradient of color, the edges of the object appear to be darker or lighter than they actually are.
The Chevreul Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives edges of an object. When the edges of an object are surrounded by a contrasting color, the edges appear to be a different color than they actually are. Chevreul’s illusion is similar to Mach bands, but they work in different ways. Chevreul’s illusion is an effect on the perception of hue, while Mach bands is an effect on the perception of brightness.
The Hermann Grid Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives intersections of lines. When the intersections of a grid of lines are viewed, small gray dots appear at the intersections, even though they are not actually there.
The Watercolor Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives edges of an object. When an object is surrounded by a colored halo, the object appears to have a different color than it actually does.
The Ishihara Illusion: This illusion is created by the way the brain perceives colors. When a color is surrounded by a contrasting color, the brain perceives the color to be different than it actually is.
The flash lag illusion is a visual illusion that is based on the perception of the temporal relationship between a moving object and a flash of light. The illusion occurs when a moving object is followed by a sudden flash of light, and the perceived location of the flash appears to be behind the actual location of the object.
The Café Wall Illusion is a visual illusion that is created by a grid of alternating light and dark horizontal and vertical lines. The lines appear to be bent or tilted, even though they are actually straight.
Discovery of the White’s Illusion
White’s illusion was discovered by Edward H. Adelson, a professor of Vision Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the early 1990s.
He named it after the British scientist, David Whitfield, who discovered a similar illusion in the early 20th century.
Adelson’s version of the illusion is widely used in research on visual perception and is known for its ability to reveal the workings of the human visual system. Adelson’s discovery was first published in the paper “Perception of the Brightness of Gray Patches” in 1993.
Edward H. Adelson is a professor of Vision Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He is known for his research in the field of visual perception and is particularly known for his discovery of White’s illusion. H
e is also known for his work on the perception of lightness and color, including the discovery of the “checker shadow” illusion and the development of the “lightness constancy” theory.
He has published numerous papers in scientific journals, and has also been recognized for his contributions to the field with numerous awards and honors.
He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association, and the Optical Society of America.
He received a BA from Harvard and a PhD from MIT, both in Physics.
References and Resources
Check out our complete list of illusions.