By Vurdlak on January 17, 2010, with 169 Comments
Here’s one that kept me occupied for days: browsing the net for more stuff, I stumbled upon a peculiar item that kept my attention. This particular die changes its colors somehow, and the mirror that goes with it, doesn’t show what it logically should. I tried, and I tried, but I still can’t seem to understand how the darn thing operates!
You can get the scoop of what I’m talking about via images I’ve included, but the real thing can be seen through the video posted below (inside this article). Tried that? Still no luck? Think it would be easier for me to throw in few bucks, and get my hands on it.
Looking at the video below, do you think you can solve the secret? If you can, please be kind and wait some time before you reveal the answer to others (me included).
Let’s repeat the core: it’s a simple idea really, just place an ordinary die on top of a mirror. In real life, the die has black and red spots like any good die should, but in the reflection it has no spots. When you turn the die, and move it around – still no spots. It’s the damnedest thing and supposedly the effect works with no effort on your part. What’s more, when you flip the dice over – suddenly it has no spots in real life, but spots in the mirror-world appear. Crazy I know, but really amazing. Can we determine exactly how the mirror achieves this unusual effect? If you’d like, you can purchase this illusory toy from our partner store!
(55 votes)
Notice how in the bottom 2 pics there are small white parts on the side? and how all pics and film is angled the same? well the mirror only reflects the small white part and when you flip the dice the other way the mirror reflects the colored side. I knew it from the first pic. Easy once you understand it haha :)
this is easy. what we see is the bottom of the ‘dent or curve’ of the dot,but the mirror shows the top,so the top is colored which reflects in the mirror and we see the color but on the real dice we see white,as we are viewing the bottom.
why didn’t he show us a side from hand and then put it down to show us the reflection? he always covered the dice when he lifted it because the ‘angle’ was altered and we would see the real deal
He switched the dice when he tapped the mirror. He tapped the mirror to cause a flash (as seen in the beginning) to draw your attention away from his hand while he switched the dice…
It’s multiple dice, one white, the other colored. Great use of the hands but nothing more… there is none of this ellipse of color, there is also no half colored die business either. Just a good ol’hand trick.
It’s the human’s perception that changes, maybe.
But one thing’s sure, the dice changes its colors when it receives different intensities of light.