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An old man standing in one corner appears to the observer to be a giant, while another old man standing in the other corner appears to be a dwarf. The illusion is convincing enough that an old man walking back and forth from the left corner to the right corner appears to grow or shrink. This is a classical optical illusion called the Ames room.

According to wikipedia, “An Ames room is constructed so that from the front it appears to be an ordinary cubic-shaped room, with a back wall and two side walls parallel to each other and perpendicular to the horizontally level floor and ceiling. This is a trick of perspective and the true shape of the room is trapezoidal. The walls are slanted and the ceiling and floor are at an incline, and the right corner is much closer to the front-positioned observer than the left corner. Studies have shown that the illusion can be created without using walls and a ceiling. It is sufficient to create an apparent horizon against an appropriate background, and the eye relies on the apparent relative height of an object above the horizon.”

For better understanding of this illusion, view the diagram of an Ames Room and the video after the jump.