The Science of Illusions - Softcover

Ninio, Jacques

3.71

14 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801437709 ISBN 13: 9780801437700

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2001

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Jacques Ninio, an international authority on visual perception, here explores the fascinating world of illusions. His book features a stunning array of illustrations including many images seldom seen in books on the topic. The art ranges from classical illusions inspired by rainbows, mirages, and other oddities of nature; to figures from seventeenth-century physics texts which Ninio himself unearthed; to spectacular new illustrations in which motion is perceived in fixed images. Clearly and engagingly written, the book advances human understanding of phenomena that puzzle our vision or confuse the other senses.For the nonscientist, illusions show that the senses are unreliable. Ninio demonstrates that paradoxical images and auditory effects are in fact clues that reveal the methods used by the brain to interpret sensory data. He gives examples of the various types of illusions, explains their underlying logic, and shows their value for neurological and physiological research. Ninio also considers the reasons people have, for centuries, created illusions. He discusses the long history of scientific and philosophical scholarship involving these phenomena and provides insights on their cultural significance. Ninio's richly rewarding book will satisfy professional scientists and readers of popular science alike.

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Review:

"This animated work about our fascination with illusions―from the age of Euclid to today―is filled with witty and accessible explanations accompanied by more than 100 mind-boggling visuals that will keep readers turning the book upside down and sideways again and again."―Publisher Weekly, March 19, 2001

"Illusions are remarkable in their ability to elucidate the workings of the brain―a fact pleasingly demonstrated by Franklin Philip's new translation of Jacques Ninio's illustrated The Science of Illusions. . . Some of his wry insights need no illustration."―American Scientist, Vol. 89, July-August 2001

"The Science of Illusions is an entertaining book to peruse. Merely by collecting (and nicely presenting) so many, mainly visual, illustrations it is a worthwhile volume. . . .As an introduction to the subject it is certainly a more than adequate text."―the complete review, July 2001

"A specialist in visual perception, Ninio presents many classic and new illusions, explains the underlying logic of the various types, and suggests their value for neurological and physiological research."―Book News, November 2001

"Ninio's Science of Illusions is a fascinating and informative survey of the science involved in illusions. . . Intriguing and filled with scientific insight."―Reviewer's Bookwatch, September 2001

"Clearly and engagingly written, The Science of Illusions advances human understanding of phenomena that puzzle our vision or confuse the other senses."―www.techdirections.com, November 2001

"No other book has ever made me say 'Wow!' or 'Hmmm' so many times."―Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, The New York Times

From Publishers Weekly:

What is illusion? In his thoroughly fun book The Science of Illusions (trans. from the French by Franklin Philip), Jacques Ninio (Molecular Approaches to Evolution), senior research scientist at Paris's Centre National des Recherches Scientifiques, teases his readers with the following possibilities: "The illusion of always being right"; "The sound of the ocean in seashells"; "The brilliant spray of fireworks, after the explosion, goes out in all directions. But all the bursts seem to stream back toward us." This animated work about our fascination with illusions from the age of Euclid to today is filled with witty and accessible explanations accompanied by more than 100 mind-boggling visuals that will keep readers turning the book upside down and sideways again and again.

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