Abstract
I HAVE never seen the following phenomenon described; perhaps a physiologist can give the explanation. If the eye is fixed on a stream of water for twenty or thirty seconds, and is then turned on to a fixed object, the part of the field of view that had previously been occupied by the stream appears to move in a contrary direction to that in which the water had been moving; the apparent motion slows down rapidly and ceases in from five to ten seconds. This is seen not only with lateral motion, but also with up-and-down motion, as when a stream is looked down on from a bridge. The phenomenon is perhaps best seen with running water, but it may be observed with other bodies in motion—a passing train, for instance. The effect is very curious, as only part of the field of view appears to move, and it is remarkable to see objects apparently in motion, yet not changing their position relatively to objects above or below.
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CAVE, C. An Optical Phenomenon. Nature 100, 126 (1917). https://doi.org/10.1038/100126b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/100126b0
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