Optical Illusion Experiments

Be a scientist--and a magician--all at once! With just a little practice, you'll amaze people with fool-the-eye illusions that are also clever science experiments. Even more important, you'll understand completely how they work, and why things appear to be different than they really are. Using the most ordinary household materials, make a poker chip glow with a ghostlike blur. Shine a flashlight so it leaves a trail of light. Draw shark fins in a book, then watch them swim. Watch as an "X" disappears from a piece of paper. Turn green boxes red, then green again. Or see what else you can do!