room, Ames

A specially constructed room in which all the visible features have been distorted to make the room appear rectangular from one specific point of observation. In particular, the back wall of the room appears perpendicular to the line of sight, with left and right corners appearing equidistant to the observer, although in reality one corner is much further away. To an observer looking into the room, people of identical heights standing one in each corner of the room appear of clearly different height. The person standing in the far away corner does indeed produce a smaller retinal image, but since the observer believes that they are at the same distance, the person standing closer 'must be larger'. The Ames room demonstrates how perceived distance influences perceived size. Syn. Ames distorted room. See moon illusion; depth perception.

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Guests can step into the upside down room or the Ames room, which distorts guests' heights.

10 Things to do in the UAE on May 23

Key exhibits to look out for include the Vortex Tunnel, the Ames room, the Head on a Platter and the Rotated Room.

Seeing is disbelieving: Inside Dubai's Museum of Illusions

Another highlight is the Clone, which allows people to sit at a table to see five clones of themselves, while the Ames Room, a particular Instagram-friendly spot, enables two guests to shrink or grow depending on their position in a life-size optical illusion that plays on depth distance and varying sizes.

Scream, run and have fun at this museum in Dubai

The Ames Room will also allow guests to appear in different sizes depending on their position.

New Dubai attraction to play tricks on your vision

The Ames room, stereograms, the mirage and the infinity room are some of the attractions on display.

Explore illusions at this new Oman museum

Letter of motivation to Mr H Amoore, UCT Registrar, for the naming of the Francis Ames Room. 9 May 2011.

The place and the person: named buildings, rooms and places on the campus of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town

One is the Room of hidden treasures, the lounge, the majlis and the ames room. Each room is designed with mixing augmented reality, 3D art and optical illusions to provide the perfect photo opportunity with gravity-defying shots.

10 things to do in Dubai this week

Among the key highlights of the exhibition is the gravity-defying slanted room and the Ames room where a person shrinks while another grows in size depending on where they stand.

You can have all your illusions here

The Dubai venue will feature the Vortex Tunnel, a rotating cylinder that tricks the brain into thinking the ground under their feet is shifting, as well as the Ames Room, where guests shrink or grow depending on their position in the exhibit.

Museum of Illusions opens in Dubai on September 12