Optical Illusion: Broken Ring?

The engraving shows a perfectly straight boxwood rule laid over a number of turned brass rings of various sizes. Although the effect in the illustration An Optical Illusion is less pronounced than it was in reality, it will be noticed that the rule appears to be bent, but sighting along the rule from one end will show that it is perfectly straight.

Optical Illusion: Broken Ring?

The brass rings also appear distorted. The portions on one side of the rule do not appear to be a continuation of those on the other, but that they really are can be proved by sighting in the same manner as before.

–Contributed by Draughtsman, Chicago.

Source: Project Gutenberg’s The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1, by Popular Mechanics, Produced by Don Kostuch