Before we start with fresh content, I’d like to encourage you all to use “Facebook Connect” button more often (when posting your comments). Probably you’ve also noticed that our comments section now includes profile photos. The problem is that very few actually took the time to set their profile photo. By using Facebook commenting system, your photos are automatically shown. This reduces the number of boring anonymous comments, and increases uniqueness inside your comments. If you aren’t such a Facebook fan, you can still grab your own Gravatar, and set your unique picture. Check it out! I’m sure you’ll love it.
Concerning the illusions, I found this one through Google image search. I really liked it. Now, if I started talking too much about it, the answer would become more than obvious. I wouldn’t like to ruin this one for you, so I’ll let you solve this by yourselves. All I can say is that it has something to do with Relative Sizes. Shouldn’t be too complicated, though.
Are these cups different in size?
(21 votes)
OMG! People who think that the cups are different and used their fingers or Paint or something else to measure them on the screen are just so stupid. I’m sorry for being harsh, but have you actually used your brain before writing that. I swear, you should be cited in the Stupidity Encyclopedia. This is the matter of perspective which gives us an optical illusion. It doesn’t matter if the cups are different on the screen, what matters is the way they are in REALITY and in reality they a re exactly the same. Read ‘calvin’ for details!
“calvin” – You’re spot on.
“KReatz” – Kudis for pointing out the false shadow that further verifies calvin.
“Why” – You’re a moron, and have the arrogance to back it up.
*Kudos
seeing as we can only tell if the two are the same size from a 2d picture. they are not the same size. you can’t tell depth and perception in 2d form. so comparing the two cups they ARE NOT the same size. we can assume that they are by knowing the cube is really a piece of paper and the smaller cup is father away but we can’t know if they are the same size or not.
I agree with Calvin, the cube is a drawing on a piece of paper which is on the floor. The two cups are several feet apart and the same size.
even if this is 3D the two cups are different in size. the small one is NOT further back it is ELEVATED. if you look at the relationship of the two cups locations against the cube you find they are both the same distance from the camera.
2D or 3D one cup is small the other large.
It’s just a matter of perspective.
The 2 cups are on a table and a drwaing of a 3D cube is also made on this table.
Check out this drawing:
http://www.mypicx.com/07132009/trick/
Not very accurate (with MS Paint :-) ), but you can see that the perspective of the table goes to 1 point (blue lines). From this point you have to draw 2 lines (red) to the outer size of the cups. And if you compare the width between these lines at a certain point (the green lines), you can see that they’re actually of the same length.
This proves both cups are in fact of the same size.
Hope people understand what I’m trying to explain, my english is not that great :-)
But it really proves they’re the same size. This is the only way you can tell for sure!!
Too bad the shadows don’t match. Besides that it’s a nice riddle.
ok
1) very cool
2) the cups are the same size
3) the cube is a drawing making it seem 3D
4) the ’smaller’ cup is just put at the end of the drawing, as if it was on the ‘cube’
Vurdlak, reading some comments and suggestions on previous days (previous illusions) I now definitely agree that you do need to hire a writer.
Now nothing personal here. I like you, I like this website and I like this particular illusion. But you didn’t present it right with your words. Hence some people (looking at comments in THIS post/illusion) didn’t get it. Or got it but didn’t even think it’s an illusion, just simple perception.
Some people do get it that the key of the illusion is actually the 3D drawing of the cube. It’s not a real cube, but a 3D drawing of a cube to make the (seemingly) smaller cup appear to be on top of it, when the cup is actually the same size and on the same level of height (not higher) with the “big” cup, only placed farther away so it seems smaller.
It’s a good illusion, but it would’ve gotten better response it deserved if you’d give it a better foreword.
Just my two cents, pal. Hope you appreciate it.
NICE!
i took 10 seconds to figure it out!
=D
We can not know. None of us.
Apart from a confusing drawing of a cube with a shadow in the wrong direction we have got no means to presume a relation here.
So I am surprised how many ppl apart from the jesters are able to give a smart and definite NO or YES while we have such an excusable reason to capitulate :-)
Nice one, I really like it, I hadn’t seen that the cube was a drawing, at first :D
The illusion is that this is a real photo (unedited), of two cups, both the same size in real life, one of which is meant to look smaller and on top of a three dimensional cube, when in reality both are on a flat surface.
It kinda reminds me of the guy that draws the chalk perspective images in the streets. Cups are the same size
also checking to see how the Facebook image thing works… and yes, I can see my picture
Both the same size as the cube is a drawing that looks 3-d and the left cup is further back therefore it looks a smaller.
You are cool if you agree ^_^
if you dont (like Tim collins) then…… o_O
First, this shouldn’t qualify as an “illusion” as the perspective does exactly what we it should when translating 3D to 2D.
Second, the shadowing of the cube is all wrong compared to the cups. It introduces a third light source that isn’t represented in the rest of the picture.
This one is pretty lame.
I think I’ve got it:
The closest cup is from an Ancient Polynesian archeological dig site, and the furthest one was bought at a local thrift store, for about 50 cents.
Since they are identical we can only be left to assume that the Ancient Polynesian culture was indubitably far more wide spread than modern anthropologists initially concluded.
As for the 2 dimensional Rubik’s cube, it makes a pretty nice table by the looks of it.
P.S. for those of you who don’t realize, I am completely joking, as this illusion has already been solved. ;-)
timothy collins
same size.
the cube is a drawing on the brown paper.
angle of the shadow drawn on the paper dos not match the shadow on two cups.
the ’smaller’ cup is simply further away from the camera.
same size. simple.
lame and very poorly done
Both are the same sizes, the thing is that are using a visual effect tring to make you think the are in the same position, but they arent, they are far, and the cube fisically doesnt exist there, it is a paper draw.
How to know, look at the shadows!!
I’d imagine the cups are the same size, but because the one on the left is further away… but still, i can kind of see the cube drawn on the paper… but now my head hurts so thanks…
This is a photo. Look at the table and cups and the light reflections and the shadows. The cubes are a drawing. It is unlikely this photographer would have two identically painted, yet different sized cups and saucers to take a picture of. Therefore, the cups are the same size as each other.
Whoa… that sugar cube won’t fit in the cup, even the big one!
its an illusion and illusions answers dont arent based on mesurements. and for those of you that think they are different sizes illusions are supposed to trick your mind into thinking what you see is the real size or an impossible thing.
The one in the back is missing its handle or perhaps it is turned so the handle is not seen. The issue is that there is no coffee in either of them.
Of course they’re the same. Otherwise it wouldn’t qualify as an optical illusion. ;-)
They are different. There are two illusions. The one with the cube. The second with the cup placement. For the opening of the closer cup to be the size and angle it is, the table would have to be bent. You would not be able to lay a ruler flat across the top of the two cups.
The Cube is Drawn on the table, while YES the cups are the same size.
wow! i really like the picture profile!!!!
Shame there isn’t a second photo in the gallery, perhaps the view from directly above would reveal all. The “one-eye” of a camera can be fooled with such a contrived set up.
The cube should be in carpet tiles at the main entrance, just inside the lobby.
Yes they are the same size in RL.
Yes the smaller one is placed further away in RL
This has nothing to do with the intended illusion though.
The illusion is that that cube make it appear to be at the same distance from the viewer, while in fact it is not
I don’t think the illusion is supposed to be “are the two cups the same size?” I think it’s supposed to be “are to two cups the same distance away from the camera?” and the answer is yes. The cube that the smaller cup is sitting on is right next to the larger cup, but the smaller cup looks like it is farther away, but can’t be.
The cups are visually different sizes, but we are led to believe that they are the same size “in real life” (although this is absolutely inverifiable).
Good illusion, though this could be done much better.
Being given the context (the site we are on), I wonder (without a hint) if the “large” cup isn’t in fact SMALLER then the “small” one…
One of the keys to making this coffee cup illusion work is knowledgeable use of the camera. The photographer needed to use a very small aperture to get a big depth of field in order to not give away the distance of the coffee cups from the camera by way of focus or lack thereof. Viewers have learned to judge placement in a 2D image by focus, so removing that information is critical. They could have done a better job of faking the cube shadow, but otherwise pretty good.
cody
perception IS reality.
The cups are different sizes IN the 2d picture. That is the perception, which makes it reality.
The cups are the Same size if you were to see them in person, hold them, etc…..that is a different reality than what is shown in the 2d pic.
fried man,
perception is recognition and interpretation, the way our brain perceives things but it is never THE reality. That’s why it is an optical illusion, when our brain is tricked to see what isn’t really there.
And here, it’s not the question if these cups are different in 2D. If it were the case, it would be too obvious and pointless to do this optical illusion.
dear vurdlak, i feel so sorry for you… i enjoy coming to your site whenever i see something nice on my igoogle gadget and each time, out of curiosity, i read the comments people post… i’m sorry guys, but some of you are a real pain… who cares how vurdlak writes the article? this site is about illusions/mind tricks, not bbc latest news. also, why does everyone attack everyone else when they have different opinions? it’s all relative – of course the two cups are the same size (or so we can assume otherwise what would be the point of this illusion?) but it is true that if you’re talking about the picture, not the actual table with the two cups, they’re different sizes. ok, i personally think that’s a lame remark that doesn’t need to be pointed out, but still it’s true so just let people think what they want if it makes them happy… having said that, i do need to say that i love david redman’s comment… LOL!
I must admit that this one stumped me for awhile until I read a comment that told the answer…I was very much dissappointed in myself for not figuring it out but of course stumping me get’s a five star rating on my side….
it is not elevated how do i know look at the floor wood flooring then carpet then more wood flooring so the cups are on a carpet with a cube on it, how it works is your eyes are lieing to you, because of the 2d image with the 3d cups in a 2d picture so all of the 3d is 2d to u cant tell what is what
Hey I believe that whole brown square the 2 cups are sitting on is a drawing. That would explain the inconsistancies of the shadows. They’re the same size, just a few feet apart.
They are the same size a few feet aprt…and the cube and the shadow..a drawing…or a painting maybe?
I have to say that the 2 cups are exactly the same, the rest of the picture is just a drawing to make our eye’s see that the one is bigger than that of the other, but than again, they really could be totally different sizes but I am still going for my first option of them being the same.
OMG. It isn’t that hard! The cube is a part of the carpet, duh!
If anybody knows how shadows work, you’d cleary see that the cube has a shadow thats going the wrong way. If the carpet was just 1 color it would be obvious to everyone. I think that the cup in the background is actually bigger. Just copy in paint, and cover the whole cube and it’s shadow until its not visible anymore. A whole other world will open for you dumb people. No offence to the ones that had it figured out, but I didn’t wanna frustrate myself so I didn’t read all the comments.