Physics and biology may not seem related, but when understanding and explaining vision, it’s useful to draw on concepts from both disciplines. You can combine biology and physics with a touch of art into one lesson that focuses on the art and engineering of creating two-dimensional images with the illusion of depth.
The concepts of structure and function of the eye, perception, and optics and color blend in this simple activity that amazes students and gives them insight into the 3-D technology that they enjoy in movies, video games, and graphics.
Create and explain 3-D images and visually perceive how human eyes work together to generate an image that appears to bounce off the page.
The science behind human eyesight relies heavily on the communication between the eyes and the visual cortex, which is in the posterior portion of the brain. Humans rely on binocular stereoscopic vision, which involves two eyes seeing slightly different images due to observations being made from two slightly different points. The brain converts the two slightly different images into a single image that denotes depth. When looking through the colored filters in 3-D glasses, both eyes are open but only one of the two overlapping images is transmitted to each eye. This feature allows us to perceive depth within a two-dimensional image.
For additional interdisciplinary STEM activities, check out the complete line of Carolina STEM Challenge® Kits.
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