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Post by lionking on Jan 20, 2008 9:55:17 GMT -4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK9AmWMDpVQWe went there. the car, as people claim, went "up" the hill alone. However, I was given a scientific explanation by someone. He said the road looks to us as if it is up, but in fact it is down. That ws long time ago and I didn't understand well how can this optical illusion be, so if anyone can explain it would be gr8. thnx
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Post by echnaton on Jan 20, 2008 10:32:23 GMT -4
It is hard to make exact comments about that video, but I did notice one thing that is common to sites that attract such claims of “up hill rolling.”
Notice the road in the background that is higher than the road they are standing on. The brain will pick a straight line in the distance and force it into reference as a horizon. The background road is higher at the left than the road they are standing on and the height difference narrows to the right. It is probably sloping down and the slope is greater than the slope of the foreground road. But if the brain accepts the background road as a horizon reference, the foreground will appear to be sloping upward.
We just have difficulty seeing what is level without a real horizon. I bet if any of us were at the place where that video was made it would look very odd. However, by paying close attention to the effort needed to walk on that road, we would notice it was easier to walk in the direction the bottle was rolling, than the other way, because the bottle was in fact rolling downhill.
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Post by VALIS on Jan 20, 2008 10:38:41 GMT -4
I've seen something like that in eastern Canada. It was called "Magnetic Hill". I made a quick search on wikipedia. The explanation is not too detailed, but the article does link to stuff that might interest you: a list of magnetic hills (they list 1 in Lebanon), a more detailed scientific explanation and more. Here's the link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_hill |
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Post by echnaton on Jan 20, 2008 10:38:55 GMT -4
For some information about a "gravity hill" in the U.S. check this site. Note: this link will start a video. |
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Post by lionking on Jan 20, 2008 10:54:36 GMT -4
you mean the road where the car came from in the highway is higher than the place wher the bottom is?
I don't know I am still having difficulty to figure this out.
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Post by echnaton on Jan 20, 2008 11:29:19 GMT -4
When viewing the video, you will see the road they are standing on. When the camera is turned to the left to look the other way, you will see a road in the background, up on the side of the hill. That is what I refer to as the "background road." I suspect the difference in the slope of the two roads is what creates the illusion.
There are common factors of geography is present at many "gravity hill" sites. There is usually a background feature that is sloping the same direction as the road but at a faster grade. It can be another road or the natural terrain. Another feature is the lack of a good horizon. These combine to fool the brain when it seeks visual clues for what is level. Some people get so tricked that they will ignore the evidence right in front of them. Things like the direction cars roll or water runs. They instead create all sorts of mystery theories that have no basis on fact.
A photo series of a car at one gravity hill showed the car apparently rolling up the hill. It was quite shocking. However the clue in the photos that pointed to the truth was that the car was rolling toward the storm drain. The engineers that designed the street were not fooled by the terrain.
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Post by gwiz on Jan 20, 2008 11:31:59 GMT -4
...a list of magnetic hills... The Scottish one is very well known over here - I love its name: the Electric Brae. |
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Post by VALIS on Jan 20, 2008 17:10:17 GMT -4
I learned a new word today, thanks gwiz! |
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raven
Jupiter
That ain't Earth, kiddies.
Posts: 509
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Post by raven on Feb 10, 2008 15:11:35 GMT -4
Plus, I wonder if wind has anything to do with it, I heard a lot of wind sounds over the mic.
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