Optical illusion: A picture that tricks your eyes or brain Muller-Lyer illusion: Two lines look different lengths because of the arrow ends, but they are the same Ponzo illusion: Two same-size lines look different when placed between converging lines Ebbinghaus illusion: A circle looks bigger or smaller depending on the circles around it Rubin vase: An image that looks like a vase or two faces Duck-rabbit: A drawing that can look like a duck or a rabbit Necker cube: A line cube that seems to flip which face is in front Penrose triangle: An impossible triangle that cannot exist in real life Penrose stairs: An endless staircase that always goes up, impossible in real life Cafe wall illusion: Straight lines look tilted because of shifted black and white tiles Hermann grid: Gray dots seem to appear where white lines cross Checker shadow illusion: Two squares look different but are the same shade Afterimage: Staring at a color and looking away shows the opposite color Stroop effect: It is hard to say the color of ink when the word names another color Troxler fading: Staring makes things in your side vision fade Motion illusion: A still picture seems to move Moon illusion: The Moon looks bigger near the horizon than high in the sky Mirage: A trick of light that makes water seem to appear on hot ground Camouflage: Blending in so you are hard to see Forced perspective: Using distance to make something look bigger or smaller in a photo Impossible object: A drawing that looks real but cannot be built as drawn Hidden image: A picture hidden in another picture Stereogram (Magic Eye): A flat picture that shows 3D shapes when you relax your eyes Blind spot: The small spot in your vision where the optic nerve leaves the eye Persistence of vision: Why a quick series of pictures looks like movement Flipbook: Pages of drawings that make movement when flipped fast Zoetrope: A spinning drum that makes pictures appear to move Illusion of size: Same-size objects look different because of surroundings Sleight of hand: Using fast, clever hand moves to fool the eye Misdirection: Drawing attention away from the secret move Prestidigitation: A fancy word for magic done with the hands Illusionist: A magician who performs large tricks Magician's assistant: A helper on stage in a trick Wand: A thin stick magicians wave Top hat: A tall hat from which rabbits seem to appear Abracadabra: A magic word said before a trick Presto: A word magicians say when the trick is done Patter: The words a magician says during a trick The reveal: The moment when the trick is shown The prestige: The final surprising part of a trick Force: When a magician makes you choose the card they want Palming: Hiding a small object in the palm Shuffle: Mixing a deck of cards Card trick: A trick done with playing cards Coin trick: A trick where a coin seems to vanish or move Rope trick: A trick with a rope that seems to cut and join Mind reading act: A show that seems to guess your thoughts Houdini: Harry Houdini, a famous escape artist of the early 1900s Escapology: The art of escaping from ropes, chains or boxes Pull a rabbit out of a hat: A classic magic trick image Cut and restored rope: A trick where the rope is cut and magically fixed Linking rings: A trick with metal rings that join and separate Vanishing: Making something seem to disappear Levitation: Making something seem to float Fooled you!: Good magicians never reveal their secrets Close-up magic: Tricks done right in front of people at a table Stage magic: Large tricks done for a big audience Street magic: Magic performed for people out in public Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/fun-optical-illusions-magic