The Science of Illusions [English Edition]

Ninio, Jacques:

ISBN 10: 0801437709 / ISBN 13: 9780801437700

Published by Cornell University Press, Ithaca & London, 2001

About this Item

20,5 cm ; Translated by Franklin Philip. Englischsprachige Paperbackausgabe, 211 Seiten mit zahlreichen Abbildungen. Umschlag etwas angedunkelt. Gutes Exemplar. hw1091 ISBN: 0801437709.

Seller Inventory # 100205

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Science of Illusions [English Edition]
• Publisher: Cornell University Press, Ithaca & London
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801437709
• ISBN 13: 9780801437700
• Binding: kart.
• Condition: Gut
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Weight: 640 grams
• Seller catalogs:
  • Graphik

About this title

Synopsis

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.

Reviews

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.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.