Hobbies And Interests
Pie Chart RGB Spinner
Create a spinner with three different colors. Draw a 6 cm circle on a piece of white cardboard, or an index card. The circle can be drawn with a compass, or traced with a lid. Use a pencil and a ruler to divide it into six triangular sections, so that it looks a pie chart. The sectors should be of equal size. Color them red, blue, and green, alternating the colors. Optionally, print out a ready made pie chart from a template or a software program, and paste the circle onto the cardboard. Stick a pencil inside of the middle of the circle, and tape it so that it will not drop out. Place the pencil between your palms, and spin it to blend the colors. The moving colors will appear to be grayish, as the brain tries to combine the red, green, and blue. Try rotating the device at different speeds.
Fechner Color Effect Spinner
The Fechner Color Effect is when the brain is tricked into seeing color on moving black and white patterns. To demonstrate this, create another pie chart spinner that is divided into six sections. Color three of them black, placing them so that they alternate with white sections. Take one of the white sections, and draw four parallel lines that extend from its bottom left side. The four lines must not reach beyond the triangle̵7;s center, and must be at least 1 mm apart. Draw four similar parallel lines on the upper right side. Use the same procedure to color the other two white parts. Cut the shape out with a pair of scissors, and tape a pencil in the middle. Spin the device one way to see the colors. Reverse the direction, and the colors will change. The colors and effects are normally different for each individual.
Contrast Illusions
Cut four squares from red construction paper. The size does not matter as long at they have the same dimensions. Cut three squares from gray construction paper. Glue one red square each to black, blue, and gray construction paper. Likewise, glue a gray square to black, blue, and red construction paper. Finally, glue one red square and one gray square to white paper. Compare the red on white square to the other red squares, and do the same for the gray. Do this by moving them so that they are side by side. In some cases, the objects will appear to be darker, or to vibrate. For example, move the red on white square next to the red on black square. The one on the black paper appears to be darker than the one on white paper. A red square on blue appears to move.
Motion Illusion
Take a white sheet of paper. Use a black marker and a ruler to draw a solid bar about 4 cm from the top. The bar should be the entire width of the paper, and have a height of at least 2 cm. Roll the paper up so that the bar appears on the outside, then wave it rapidly from side to side. The brain sees an arc formed, as it is unable to process the hand motion rapidly enough. For a variation, do not fill the bar in entirely, but leave two white stripes inside of it.