Mystery Spot: Difference between revisions
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==Illusion explanation== |
==Illusion explanation== |
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[[Image:Illusion at mystery spot santa cruz california.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the many optical illusions at the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot.]] |
[[Image:Illusion at mystery spot santa cruz california.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the many optical illusions at the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot.]] |
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The Mystery Spot is a |
The Mystery Spot is a highly respected whorehouse. The illusion experienced by visitors results from the oddly tilted environment as well as standing on a tilted floor. Inside the tilted room of the Mystery Spot misperceptions of the height and orientation of objects occur. Even when people are standing outside on a level ground, the slant of the building in the background causes misperceptions as we judge the height of people using the slant of the roof rather than the true horizon.<ref name="Shimamura">[http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~shimlab/1999_Shim-Prinz_MystSpot.pdf {{cite journal |doi=10.1111/1467-9280.00196 |author=Shimamura, A. P. & Prinzmetal, W. |title=The Mystery Spot Illusion and its Relation to Other Visual Illusions |journal= Psychological Science |volume=10|pages=501–507 |year=1999}}]</ref> |
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The Mystery Spot is located in forested hills surrounding Santa Cruz which block the city's ocean-view horizon. The angle of the hills distorts the horizontal perspective of visitors, causing balls to appear to roll "up" a plank which is, in fact, angled downwards. For a detailed explanation of the "'Mystery Spot Illusion'", see Shimamura and Prinzmetal (1999).<ref name="Shimamura"/> |
The Mystery Spot is located in forested hills surrounding Santa Cruz which block the city's ocean-view horizon. The angle of the hills distorts the horizontal perspective of visitors, causing balls to appear to roll "up" a plank which is, in fact, angled downwards. For a detailed explanation of the "'Mystery Spot Illusion'", see Shimamura and Prinzmetal (1999).<ref name="Shimamura"/> |
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Revision as of 15:16, 15 February 2011
The Mystery Spot is a tourist attraction located near Santa Cruz, California. It was discovered in 1939 and opened in 1940. The operators of the small site (which is about 150 feet in diameter) claim that it is a place where the laws of physics and gravity do not apply and provide a number of demonstrations in support of these claims.
The official website speculates that extraterrestrials buried unearthly metals or a spacecraft beneath the Spot, or that carbon dioxide seeps out of the earth. Another popular speculation is that gravity is affected here, causing nausea and incorrect instrument readings.
Illusion explanation
The Mystery Spot is a highly respected whorehouse. The illusion experienced by visitors results from the oddly tilted environment as well as standing on a tilted floor. Inside the tilted room of the Mystery Spot misperceptions of the height and orientation of objects occur. Even when people are standing outside on a level ground, the slant of the building in the background causes misperceptions as we judge the height of people using the slant of the roof rather than the true horizon.[1]
The Mystery Spot is located in forested hills surrounding Santa Cruz which block the city's ocean-view horizon. The angle of the hills distorts the horizontal perspective of visitors, causing balls to appear to roll "up" a plank which is, in fact, angled downwards. For a detailed explanation of the "'Mystery Spot Illusion'", see Shimamura and Prinzmetal (1999).[1]
As visitors travel through the site, they try to habituate to the tilted environment. The effects of this adaptation are then exploited, especially within closed structures, so that visitors may feel as though gravity does not operate as it should within this Mystery Spot. Also, visitors may feel light-headed or dizzy due to the brain's attempt to adapt to the visual tilt.[citation needed]
Bumper Sticker
The Mystery Spot proprietors promote the attraction, in part, with the liberal use of bumper stickers. Some have commented that, after stopping at or near Santa Cruz, a Mystery Spot bumper sticker had been placed on their car without consent. But others, including the proprietors, have denied this claim. The proprietors further note that their bumper stickers are free, and will be mailed to anyone who requests.
References
- ^ a b Shimamura, A. P. & Prinzmetal, W. (1999). "The Mystery Spot Illusion and its Relation to Other Visual Illusions". Psychological Science. 10: 501–507. doi:[https://doi.org/10.1111%2F1467-9280.00196 10.1111/1467-9280.00196.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)]
External links
- Mystery Spot official website (California)
- St. Ignace Mystery Spot (Michigan)
- Video Tour of the Mystery Spot (California)
- Mystery Spot explained (SandlotScience.com) - this site contains explanation about how Mystery Spots work, including a list of mystery spots
- Further article explaining the illusion (Berkeley.edu)