barber pole illusions

A form of barber pole illusion — An optical illusion where, when a diagonally striped pole is rotated around its vertical axis (horizontally), it appears as though the stripes are moving in the direction of its vertical axis (downwards in the case of the animation to the right) rather than around it.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of barber pole illusion
Cite this entry
APA

barber pole illusions. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barber%20pole%20illusions

MLA

“barber pole illusions.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barber%20pole%20illusions. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “barber pole illusions,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/barber%20pole%20illusions.

Source: barber pole illusions on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.