How to Create a Thaumatrope
Persistence of Vision: Creating a Fun and Educational Animation Toy
Persistence of visionrefers to the fact that light's stimulus lingers on the retina slightly longer than it actually shines on the eye.
Supplies needed:
- Round piece of cardboard
- A hole punch
- Twine /string
- Scissors
- Paper
- Pen/ Pencil
- Tape/Glue Stick
- Think of an image you want to trick your eye into seeing. In the above case it is a bird in a cage.
- Take two pieces of paper and cut them down to a size where when glued or taped it will fit within the boundaries of your cardboard piece.
- On one piece of paper draw a bird. On the second piece draw an empty cage. If you have your own image ideas draw them instead.
- Take your cardboard piece and your drawing of the cage. Center your drawing on the cardboard piece and glue or tape it down.
- Flip over your cardboard piece and repeat step 4 but with the image of your bird.
- Now take your hole punch and make holes opposite each other on the cardboard piece. There should be only two holes when you are done. Refer to the picture above.
- Cut two pieces of twine/string making sure they are close to equal in length
- Take one of the pieces and tie it through the hole you punched. Do the same with the other piece of string and other hole.
- Hold on to the pieces of string and wind up the cardboard piece. Once wound up loosen your grasp, so that it starts to spin. Your eye will now see only one combined image.
Published by Neil Mey
My name is Neil Mey. I am from Saint Louis Missouri and have a Master of Arts degree in Communications from Lindenwood University. I am currently an Instructor at Lindenwood University as well. View profile
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- 1825: John A. Paris Famous English Physician invented the Thaumatrope
- Images are retained by retina of the eye for fractions of a second after the image has been replaced
- This discovery led to further experiments which set us on the path to what animation is today
In 1824 Peter Mark Roget who at the time held the job of Examiner of Physiology at University of London published Persistence of Vision