‘Magic’ optical illusion appears to defy gravity

This ball is on a roll.

In this optical illusion, you’ll see a hand place a metal ball at the bottom of what looks like an ordinary slide. However, it immediately rolls uphill, seemingly defying the laws of gravity.

The slide is 3D-printed, but what did the YouTuber StruckDuck do to it? Can you tell? Watch the video and see if you can figure it out.

[Warning: Spoilers below]

Although the slide may look 3D, with illusions, it’s important to know that angles matter.

If you watch towards the end of the video, the viewer will see the camera change angle to show that the slide is actually flat and sloped. That means the ball is actually traveling along a flat path and the angle is only making it look like a ball moving up a slide instead of down.

Instaead, the ball is moving from one side to the other and not uphill.

At this angle, this explains why every time the ball is at the top of the slide, it stays still and doesn’t fall to the bottom like it would on an average playground slide.

The viewer can also see the ladder to the slide isn’t even connected to the slide itself. If you did place the ball at the top of the ladder, it would simply fall off.

A giveaway to the illusion’s trick can also be to look at the ball. It gets smaller as it travels up the slide because it is moving away from the camera.

Speaking of cameras, a viewer can pay attention to the focus and know something is up as the bottom of the slide appears much clearer than the blurry top part of the slide does.

Commenters went wild for the illusion, with one person calling it “sneaky” while others labeled it “magic,” “clever” and “cool.”

“That is PERFECTLY lined up illusion,” said one illusion lover, while another chimed in: “bro that’s trippy.”

Some were tricked, with one person writing: “I thought it’s a steeper slope and I’m confused as hell.”

However, another person, while impressed, was not fooled.

“I figured it out once I first started the video, but great illusion,” they wrote.

StruckDuck added a new element to your typical optical illusion with 3D printing as more of his videos show off the “impossible creations” he can make with this designing method.

If you’re looking for more confusing illusions, try this one where few people can determine the color of this square.