For today’s optical illusion, I have a dapper young fellow joining me. This young man is all dressed up, complete with a top hat. Unfortunately, this gentleman is a bit upset. You see, he asked his hatmaker to make him a top hat that was exactly as tall as it was wide. The young man has only one box to store his hat, and the box happens to be square. A hat taller or wider wouldn’t fit into the box properly and could get damaged in storage.
The hatmaker, however, insists that the hat is exactly as wide as it is tall, from brim to brim and top to bottom.
So, who’s right?
Is his top hat taller or wider?
It may first appear that the young man was upset for good reason. The hat actually does look taller than it is wide. Look again, though. And this time, measure it. The hatmaker made a hat that was spot on and is not either taller or wider. The hat only appears taller because the width of the top of the hat is narrower than the brim, which is much less conspicuous.
Don’t believe me? Check for yourself I used a photo editor on my computer to double check, but you can use a piece of paper or ruler to check.
After you’re done trying to figure out whether this young man’s hat is taller or wider, head over and check out this helicopter line illusion!
